Moonbow
by HeaCarp
Summary: Samantha has had a rough childhood and has to adapt to a new family when she is taken from her mother. She finds out more than she bargained for and finds a great deal about love from the most unlikely places. This is a twist on twilight, it happens after new moon.
1. Chapter 1: The beginning

I lay on the cold ground covered in blood. I hear him walk over to me and pause. I would never see the blue sky again, the white fluffy clouds floating by over head. His touch chills my skin and it feels different than before. His touch is soft, gentle as if he is trying not to hurt me anymore than I am already hurt. I pry open one of my swollen eyes and see that the person standing over me is not the monster that left me here to die.

This man is beautiful like an angel. He is surrounded in light and his eyes shine a bright golden color. He is the most amazing person I have ever seen before. I wish I could see him clearly, that I could reach out and touch him. Check and see if he is truly there or imaginary. Am I still alive or is this the angel that has come to take me to heaven.

Before I can find out who he is or why he is there, I am pulled backward in time. All the events whirl past me and I see them all in reverse. When everything is still again, I am standing in my yard. I open my eyes and see that nothing has happened to me and I am fine. I turn and see the trailer I sleep in with my mother. I know what I have to do to change the monster from coming for me. I slowly turn back toward the road and sweep my eyes down to his house. There he stands in the window staring at me.

Days passed before the day came, I walked down the street and saw the car parked in the front of the trailer. The woman was sitting in the front waiting for me or my mother. I walked up to the door and she looked up and smiled at me.

The door opened and the heavy set curly brown haired woman stepped out, "Hello, are you Samantha?" He voice was thick from smoking.

"Yes ma'am." I stepped back from her, "My teachers said not to talk to strangers."

"I understand that. I am here to make sure that you are alright. My name is Michelle. Is your mother going to be home soon?"

"I don't know when she will be here. Sometimes she doesn't come home." I looked at the ground and hoped that she believed me and was here to take me away.

"Does that happen often? Your mother leaves you here with someone else?" She took a few steps toward the house and turned and smiled. "Why don't we go on in so that I can look around?"

"She doesn't leave me with anyone. I am here alone most of the time." I stayed in my spot, "I don't think that she would be happy if I let you inside without her."

"Well, I think that she wouldn't mind if I went in. If you would like you could stay here and I will go in alone." She walked toward the house and paused, "I would like to see your room, and without you I wouldn't know which one that is."

I frowned and followed her inside the house. She looked around and shook her head. She pulled her pen from her portfolio and started writing things down. She turned to me and headed toward my room. "This is my room." She looked at the bare room. There was no bed, no toys, no clothes; it was just an empty room.

"Where do you sleep?"

I opened the closet and pointed at the floor, "There. I like to stay inside here to keep the monsters away and it is warmer."

She reached up and wiped something from her face, and started writing again. The front door opened and a man yelled for my mother.

"Do you know who that is?"

"That is Jim. He is here to buy me for a night." I dropped to the floor and crawled into the closet. I listened as the woman made a phone call to the police.

"Who the hell are you?" Jim was a dirty large man with long stringy greasy hair.

"I am Tina's sister. You must be the man that is buying the brat." I trembled inside the closet when she said this. How could that be true? She had just called the police, right?

"She told you about that?" He was nervous now. His voice shook a little when he spoke. "I don't feel comfortable with that."

"She wants her money and something came up. She said I could have some of it, if I came here and waited for you." She stepped toward him and smiled, "So where is it? Where's the money?"

"It's right here, but where is the girl." He pulled the money from his pocket and flashed it in front of her.

"She's hiding in the closet. She's afraid of me, you know. So have you done this before?" She opened the closet door and pulled me to my feet. "Let's take this to the living room. You can take her and go as soon as I count this."

She started counting the money as we walked back to the filthy living room. She dropped it on the counter and turned to him. "So is this your first time buying a kid or what?"

"I've never had to buy them before. When Tina offered her up I knew that she wouldn't be turning me in. I don't want to go back to jail." He kept his eyes on me, but tried to follow the conversation. "I got out of jail last year."

"That's really too bad because it seems as though you will be going back there." She stepped over to me. "I am a social worker for the state and the police are right outside. I taped this whole conversation with you. You should have kept to yourself and stayed away from little kids." She kept her hand on my shoulder and made sure I was behind her.

The police flew into the living room and knocked him to the ground. They had him cuffed and back out the door before I could even grasp what had happened. My mother's voice rang out from the lawn and I knew that she was being arrested also. Michelle walked to the door and watched as they cuffed her and put her in the car. I ran into my room and pulled out the only toy that I had, an old dirty ragged doll.

The woman followed me and with her softest voice said, "I know that this is scary for you, but everything is going to be alright now. I am going to take you away from here and you will never have to go through this again."

I was walking with her when a soft knock sounded on the door. She looked at me again and sighed. I didn't know who would come here now, maybe a friend of my mother coming to spend her money with her.

"I am sorry to bother you ma'am, but I live next door and I saw what happened. I was wondering if Samantha is alright." His voice shook with emotion and I knew that it was Kyle. He had been a protector of mine since I could remember. He watched out for me when my mother was away and made sure that I was eating enough.

She looked him over and shook her head, "I am sorry, but I can't talk to you about this." She stepped back to close the door, but I stepped in front of her.

"I'm alright. This lady says that she is going to take me somewhere safe." I turned back to her and sighed, "This is Kyle. He helps me."

I could tell by her face that she didn't think that he had helped enough. "I am sorry, I was just so worried. She is only eight years old and there is so much that could have happened to her. I called you guys before, but no one did anything."

Her face softened and she sighed again, "I saw in her file that someone had made several complaints, but no abuse was found. I am just thankful that we got her in time." She ushered me out of the house and down toward her car.

I glanced back at Kyle and saw that he was wiping his eye on his sleeve. I wondered if I would ever see him again. He had been very kind to me and in many ways had kept me alive over the years. I knew that he and Marcy would miss me.

I watched as the trailers flashed by the window as we drove to wherever she was taking me. She had never really told me where that was. She pulled up to a building and parked in a space. "This is my office. You will stay with me for a bit until we can find a place for you."

"Why couldn't I just stay with Kyle and Marcy? They would have taken care of me just fine." I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to keep the fears back, "I should have just gone to them, instead of telling that teacher."

Her face clouded, but she smiled, "I know that this is hard for you and you may think that this is really scary, but I promise that it will be alright."

I followed her into her office and took a seat in one of the soft chairs that faced her desk. I listened as she made a few calls and then sighed again. The knock on the door startled her, but she gathered herself and stood to answer it. A short balding man opened the door and cleared his throat, "Michelle, the mother contacted her sister and she is here to talk to you." His voice was soft and kind. He smiled over at me, "She seems really upset about this situation."

"Okay, I will be out to speak with her in one moment." She turned to me and smiled, "Have you ever met your aunt before?"

I shook my head and thought back. I had never met anyone through my mom that had shown any interest in me. I was nervous about the type of sister that my mother would have. "Stay here for me please and I will speak with her."

She walked out the door and I was left alone in the small office. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I know what I wanted to do. I wanted to run out of the office and the building and disappear before my mother's evil twin got a hold of me, but I guess that my mother would be considered the evil twin. Maybe this sister would be the good one, the one that had taken the right path in life. I walked to the small window and looked out over the parking lot.

It was full of cars and people rushing around. I turned when the door opened and a beautiful woman entered. She smiled at me and I felt relieved. Michelle was standing behind her smiling too. She reached her hand out to me and said in a voice that had all my fears racing away, "Hello Sam, my name is Esme. I am your aunt."

I didn't reach for her hand though. There was something about this woman, even though she seemed very nice. I smiled up at her, but stayed where I was. I shifted my gaze to Michelle who had stepped forward, "Samantha, I think that this is going to be the best placement for you. Esme was shocked to find out about you and is very happy to have you as part of her family." She walked back behind her desk and sat down.

I guessed that I didn't have a choice in the matter. There was something strange about the woman standing in front of me. She was like no one I had ever seen before. I sighed and walked toward her. "Are her things somewhere?" Her voice was like no one I had ever heard either.

"She didn't have anything. I wish I could say that there was something, but no." I had my doll clamped against my side. It was the only comfort I had and I would not let anyone take her away.

Esme nodded and stepped back so that I could walk out of the office. "I will have my lawyer get all of the paperwork back to you quickly. There is no reason for this poor girl to be put out anymore than she already has."

Michelle nodded and we turned toward the exit of the building. I couldn't fight the unsettling feeling that I was headed to a much worse fate than the one that I was leaving behind.

We drove the entire way to Esme's home. We stopped a few times to eat, but I noticed that she didn't eat with me. She ordered food, but never really ate any. This didn't bother me much though. The food that I had asked for was probably not food she usually ate. I ate more than most eight year olds probably ate, but I was severely malnourished.

My unease with her was slowly ebbing. She seemed like she was really interested in what was best for me. "So did you like school?"

I didn't take my eyes from the window when I answered, "No, the kids were very mean to me there."

"I am really sorry about that. Your new school will be much better." I could tell that she was looking at me, but I refused to look back, "I have other children, they are much older than you, but you will love them. Carlisle is so excited to meet you. That is my husband."

I took a deep breath and sighed. I wonder if he is like her. She stopped talking to me after that. I thought that maybe we were close because she slowed the car a bit. The road that she took was horrible. There was nothing on either side. It seemed as though she was taking me into the woods. This was it. She was going to do whatever she planned and bury me out here.

I knew that couldn't be true. I was able to see the danger before it happened. I would be able to see what would lead up to the danger and see a small step that I could change in order to keep the danger away. I would get the vision when I needed to make a change so that I could make it.

The woods opened up and a huge house stood in front of me. I had never seen anything like it before. A slight excitment filled me at the thought of living here.

"You live here?" I was shocked by the sight of it.

"You live here now too." She stopped the car and turned to me smiling.

I watched as a man walked out of the house. He was like her and immediately the panic came back. He was perfect in every way. He had blonde hair and the same color eyes as Esme. He also had pale skin like her too. My door opened and he stood smiling down at me.

"Welcome, Samantha." He stepped back so that I could get out. His eyes darted from me to Esme and then back to me. He seemed to be talking to her through his eyes, "The others are in the house."

Esme stood outside the car door smiling. "Carlisle there is nothing to carry in. There was nothing to bring."

I saw the sadness enter his eyes, but he kept his smile in place. The fear was almost too much for me to bear. My head was telling me to run away, that these people were scary and shouldn't be trusted, but I didn't know where I would go. I was trapped.

I followed Esme and Carlisle up the steps toward the house and remembered what he had said; _the others are in the house._ There were others in there. I took a deep breath and told myself that I had been through worse. How bad could this really be? These people seemed nice enough.

The house was amazing. It was so open and so big. I scanned the room for the others that he had referred to and found them all standing like statues near the stairs. Carlisle stepped up to them and turned to me smiling, "Samantha, this is Emmet, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper." He patted each one as he told me their names. The panic exploded in me and I saw the one called Jasper flinch. Then something strange happened, it just went away. The panic was still there a little, but I felt better, calm.

I met his knowing smile and smiled back. That was just really strange. Alice was also looking at me strangely. She stepped forward slightly as if she saw something on my face or something. I reached up and swiped at my mouth, maybe I had gotten ketchup on it or something.

"She looks a lot like Bella." She cocked her head and squinted her eyes, "That's weird." With a shrug she brushed it aside.

"Where are Edward and Bella? I really thought that he would be here." Esme spoke to the group.

The bear like guy named Emmett shrugged, "He was at school today, but who knows with him. He is really stressed out with the Seattle thing." He smiled at me and it was really funny. I looked away and focused on a spot on my beat up sneakers.

"I can show you your room if you would like me too." Alice jumped up a few of the steps and giggled, "I am too excited to have someone else to dress."

I nodded and followed behind her. I noticed that Jasper was following me, but kept a very large distance. I took the steps two at a time to try and keep up with the fairy like girl. She seemed like she had stepped out of the pages of one of the books I read at school, a friend of Tinker Bell maybe.

I was still alive for now and I no longer felt like running from the house screaming, but something made me feel like that was only because of Jasper. There was something about him and this family that was not normal.


	2. Chapter 2: The Truth

The next day was not as bad as I felt it should have been. I still knew that something was very wrong with this family, but even without Jasper near me, I was feeling better about it. I had found that my suspicions of him were right. When he left with Alice the panic eased back in, but like I said it wasn't so bad. I had slept really great in the soft bed that was in my new room.

It turned out that everyone was really great. Emmett was like a kid. He chased me around in the woods near the house and we played hide and seek, which was no fun for me. He always found me and I could never find him. Luckily Rosalie started helping me find him.

Carlisle and Esme stayed in the background watching me, but they didn't bother me at all. Edward and Bella hadn't stopped by yet, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to meet more strange people. I was starting to think that the whole town was like them. Maybe this was a zombie town or something. No that can't be right, these people were to pretty to be zombies. My stomach growling brought our game to an end.

When we got back to the house I heard voices from the front of the house. Rosalie ushered me into the kitchen so that I wouldn't hear them, but they weren't even trying to be quiet. "I just don't see what you could possibly be thinking. She isn't safe here." The voice was low and husky. It almost sounded like a growl. I shook my head and paid closer attention to Rosalie. She was looking through the refrigerator trying to figure out what I would want to eat. I ducked under her arm and gasped at the sight.

"What's the matter?" Rosalie's voice was bells on the air, but the worry was still noticeable.

"Look at all this food." I reached in and ran my hand over the gallon of milk and then over a few of the other packages, "I can't believe that you have all of this."

Her laughter filled the kitchen and I couldn't help but to join in.

"Carlisle, you have to understand where they are coming from. This isn't…" The new voice stopped in the doorway of the kitchen.

I saw the man staring at me with his mouth open. This must be Edward. I smiled up at him, "Hello."

He continued to stare a moment longer before snapping out of wherever his thoughts had taken him to, "Hello. Carlisle said that you were out with Rosalie and Emmett still." He shot a look up at Rosalie and then back to me, "I'm Edward. It is very nice to meet you, Samantha."

I nodded and turned back to Rosalie who was putting together a sandwich for me, "Do you want lettuce and mayonnaise on this?"

My eyes lit up and I could barely answer through the excitement, "Yes please."

Carlisle laughed, but I noticed that he didn't turn away from Edward. They seemed to be talking, but not speaking. I would see Edward barely nod or move his eyes as if in response to some unspoken question. My eyebrows raised and I tried to watch closer. Rosalie cleared her throat and both men turned to look at me. I smiled and grabbed the plate with the sandwich on it. She poured a glass of milk for me and followed me out to the dining room.

I was feeling pretty good here with this family. I didn't care about the feelings that I had when I had first met Esme. I couldn't believe that this family would harm me in any way. I didn't care how different they were or what they turned out to be. Rosalie sat across from me staring out the window.

"What were they doing in there? It looked like they were talking, but without words?" I took a small bite and watched her closely.

"It was nothing. Edward is just weird. You will find that out soon enough." She smiled and turned back to the window.

"You can go find Emmett if you want to. I am alright. I want to go up to my room anyway." I shrugged and finished the sandwich.

"Alright, well if you need anything." She stood up so gracefully and walked from the room. I emptied the milk and carried the plate and cup back to the kitchen. I stood still and listened for a breath or footstep, but nothing came. The house was too quiet. I walked toward the stairs and stopped when I heard the loud voice from earlier.

"Bella, you need to talk to them. You have a choice whether to be here or not, but she is just a kid." He was suggesting that I was in some kind of danger, which I had initially thought too, but had changed my thinking on this, "You know what they will do to her."

I wanted to tell him to shut up and leave me alone. I wanted him to see that I wanted to be here and that this was the best place for me now, but I couldn't move. There was something about the boy talking that made me nervous. Bella, who I had yet to meet, stood facing him and he looked mad. He was very large, almost as big as Emmett, but he was completely opposite. His skin was much darker than Emmett's and he radiated anger.

I couldn't hear what Bella was saying to him, but it was not making him happy. He looked like he was about to burst out of his skin. "You can't know what will happen to her, Bella."

I saw his fists tightening at his sides and the trembling in his arms. I had seen this stance enough. He looked like he was about to take a swing at her. I ran from the house and stepped between Bella and the boy. "Leave her alone, you don't know what you are talking about."

His eyes widened and he took a step back. "You shouldn't be out here." Bella's voice was panicked and strained.

"No, I heard what you said. If I should be afraid of anyone it's you. The Cullens have been nothing but nice to me, so you need to leave them alone." I knew that there was something about this boy that was wrong. I shook my head, no not wrong, different. He was dangerous like the Cullens, but I wasn't sure if he was as in control of his dangerous side.

He took a deep breath and another step away from me, "I am sorry if I upset you. That was not my intention."

"Jacob, you need to leave." Edward's voice came from behind Bella and sounded final, "I won't let anything happen here. You need to make sure that you can say the same thing."

An icy hand touched my arm and led me away from Bella. I followed it to the porch and realized that it was Carlisle. I smiled up at him and turned to see Bella. She turned and started walking to us. She was like me, very much like me. Her skin was light, but not as pale as the others and her eyes were the same brown shade as mine were.

She smiled up at me and Carlisle and apologized for Jacob's behavior. I wasn't sure why she felt that she had to speak for him, but she did. She stumbled before making it to the porch and Emmett's laugh boomed from the trees next to the house. She shook her head and continued toward us.

Carlisle's gasp caught me by surprise, "You two do look very similar. Alice was right."

I saw Edward's eyebrows lift as if he saw something too, but chose not to say anything. I decided that when Edward was around I would have to watch him carefully. There was something weird about him, like Jasper. I also noticed that no one ate with me. I never saw any of them eat anything all day. They also didn't drink anything. When I explored the house I also found that the only room with a bed was mine. I would have to figure out this mystery soon.

After the excitement with Jacob, Bella and I talked a little while Edward and Carlisle went to look at something in his office. I wanted to sneak up and see if I could hear anything, but Bella was watching me carefully. She was completely normal. She was a lot like me.

"What are they doing up there?" I was able to study her face better than the other's. She showed a lot of emotion on her face and it was pretty easy to read.

"I'm not sure really. Carlisle is a doctor and he likes to really know everything there is to know about everything. He is probably going over some experiment or something." She flipped the channel.

"So that boy that was here earlier, is he a friend of yours?" Her brows nit together and she froze. I thought that was a pretty easy question. There was definitely something going on there.

"Yes, he is a friend, but he doesn't want to be just friends anymore." She shook her head.

"Tough break, he has nothing on Edward." I smiled at the television, "He is cute though, if you like the whole angry thing."

"He is going through some things now and he is worried about you too." The crease on her forehead never relaxed.

"He doesn't even know me, what does he have to worry about." I smiled to myself and added, "It's not like they are going to eat me or something."

Something snapped in the other room and I think that Bella stopped breathing completely. I knew there was something strange going on here. Now I just had to work through what all these small pieces became. I thought back on everything that I knew, cold skin, weird eyes, no beds, no food, and they eat people.

Could be zombies, except for the good looks and they didn't seem to eat brains. Okay other monsters that ate people. Frankenstein didn't eat people, so he was out. Witches were normal people with magical powers. Werewolves could eat people, but I didn't know much about their diets. Then the answer clicked in my head, Vampires. I was now part of a vampire family.


	3. Chapter 3: Escape

No wonder that Jacob guy was worried for me. He must know what they are. I smiled over at Bella who still hadn't moved. Alice sat next to me and asked me about the weather around here. I wasn't sure exactly what she had asked because I was still trying to work out what it all meant. I shrugged and decided that I probably shouldn't let them know that I knew. There was a reason that they didn't tell me to begin with.

"What did you say?" I turned my attention to Alice and gave Bella time to compose herself. I didn't want them to send me away because I knew their secret. I knew that I should be frightened, but I really wasn't. If they were going to hurt me wouldn't they have already done it?

"There wasn't much rain around today, but it rains a lot here. Do you mind the rain?" She smiled down at me and it wasn't hard to see that she was trying to redirect my thoughts.

"It rained some at my old home, but I didn't mind it much. It washes away all the heat and the dirt." I stood up and stretched, "I think that I am going to go to my room for a bit. Is that alright?"

"Of course it is." Alice stood up with me and headed back into the dining room. I followed her through the door and saw the chair lying on the floor in two pieces. Wow, I must have really taken them by surprise.

I walked through the room without commenting on the broken chair and ran straight for my room. I was living with vampires and I needed a moment to think about this. I couldn't believe this. I didn't know much about them, but on Halloween people liked dressing up like them. Kyle had told me about them one year when I helped him hand out candy. He had said that they were night dwellers that stalked innocent people. They drank all of their blood or changed them into vampires too. All of the things he told me about them seemed really ridiculous and these vampires didn't seem to be much like what he described.

I ran up the three flights of steps and shut the bedroom door behind me. The room I was in had one wall that was nothing but glass. Last night had been a dream. I sat on the bed and watched the stars twinkling in the sky. It was almost like I was sleeping outside under them. I hopped up on the bed, lay back and folded my arms behind my head. The plan had been to go over what I was thinking and figure out what it meant for me, but the knock kept me from thinking too deeply about it.

"Come in." I sat up and pulled my legs up to my chest waiting to see which eager Cullen had come up to check on me.

Carlisle opened the door and smiled. Jasper's soft voice floated up from somewhere else in the house, "She didn't seem to be feeling anything. She was calm and happy."

Carlisle shut the door and leaned against it, "I was just wondering how you were. I also wanted to answer any questions that you may have for us."

I looked up at him afraid to say the words that were bouncing around in my head. I shrugged and dropped my head onto my knees.

"I want you to know I will give you honest answers and that we won't be angry by anything that you may think." He opened the door again and paused, "We want you to be happy here."

"Jasper, I am just worried that she is too close to all of us. She is going to start putting it all together. I can't hear her thoughts, so I can't know what she really thinks."

Carlisle slowly shut the door and I was alone again. Edward couldn't _hear _my _thoughts._ What did that even mean? He could other people's thoughts. If they were so worried about me figuring out their secrets then why were they always talking where I could hear them talking? This just kept getting weirder and weirder. I rocked back so that I was curled up staring out at the woods that surrounded the house. I would love to jump out of here and find a place where I could really be alone. I thought back on memories of my life two days ago and shuddered at the thought. Nothing truly bad had ever happened to me, but that was mostly in part to my being able to change it. Self preservation was in overdrive in me.

There had been only a few times that I had to change anything really in order to save myself and most had been small changes. The other times had been similar, but not as scary to me, hit by a car when I was a toddler, starvation when I was five or so. I knew to trust Kyle when starvation almost took me and to stay out of the street when the car was coming for me. It is hard to believe that a toddler would see visions like this, but I did. I also knew what they meant and what I had to do.

I watched as a squirrel jumped from one tree to another and smiled. I would love to be free like that, running around on my own, no care in the world. I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut. I remembered feeling free like that at one time.

_I was younger than I was now, a lot younger. I had just started walking, but it wasn't walking really. I was running. I ran through the house and scared my mother. She screamed at me and told me that I was not allowed to act that way. She smacked me hard and shook me too. I did small things when I was alone, but nothing that would draw attention to me or that my mother would see. I didn't like being punished by her. As the years progressed I just stopped doing them. I didn't jump higher than I should or run faster than the others in school. I was extra careful to make myself normal._

My eyes flashed open and I jumped off the bed. I could jump out of the window and jump through the trees like the squirrel. I was posed to jump when I remembered why I had stopped doing it. I didn't want people to see that I was different. What if my new family saw me and sent me back? Would they want a kid that could do crazy stuff like that? They were vampires after all; maybe they would want me more if they knew I could do things like this.

I settled on opening the glass window and standing on the edge. I sank down and let my feet dangle off into the open. I stared out at the woods trying to see any animals that were out there. A bird fluttered around a tree branch that held its nest, another squirrel had started chasing the first, and a deer off in a small clearing was turning to run from something that was stepping out of the dark shadows. I blinked and leaned further out of the window. That couldn't be a wolf. That thing was huge. I could imagine it eating the poor deer hole.

I jumped back and closed the window. I decided that I didn't want to be alone any more. I opened the door and flew down the steps. Jasper was the first person to me, panic on his face, "What is it? What happened?"

I tried to catch my breath and tell him what I had seen, but the words wouldn't come out. I searched his face trying to get him to help me. Nothing happened. I was just as scared and panicked as I had been when I first saw it. "Help me," was all I could croak out.

He shot a glance at Carlisle and Edward who both nodded. The wave hit me like it had yesterday and I was able to think clearly. I sighed and bent over to catch my breath. "Thank you Jasper." I glanced up and saw the shock cross their faces briefly before smoothing back out.

"I don't know what you mean." Jasper kept his voice under control and if I wasn't sure of his ability I may have believed him.

"Okay," I smiled up at him, I turned to the other two and said, "I was sitting in the window when I saw this huge wolf out there. Should I be out there with those things roaming around like that?"

Edward and Carlisle exchanged a look, "They don't usually come this close to the house. I will have to look into that." Carlisle smiled down at me and shot another quick glance at Edward before leaving the room.

I followed him, "Carlisle, can I talk to you for a minute." I decided that I would feel him out and see if he would really tell me the truth.

"Sure, I told you that you could talk to me." He turned and walked back to the stairs, "Why don't we go up to my office?"

I nodded, "Jasper, I think that I am alright now. Thank you, again."

I followed him to his office and took the seat that he pointed to. I was amazed by the amount of pictures on the walls in here. I wanted to really look at them, but Carlisle pulled my attention to him.

"I was wondering how Jasper is able to do what he does." I scratched my chin and decided to add, "And Edward. I know that he can do something too. What can he do?"

Carlisle shook his head sadly and sighed, "These aren't things that are easy to explain. Honestly, these are not things that you should have noticed. Esme miscalculated how much we could keep from you." He rubbed his temples and then met my gaze again, "You can't know these things. It is important that you don't know about them."

I took a shaky breath, "Are you going to send me away?" I fought as hard as I could to keep the tears back.

He didn't answer me and I knew what that meant. They had made a mistake taking me in and now they would take me back to a normal family. I nodded and stood up. I walked from the room, and then ran as fast as I could to my room. It no longer mattered what I could do. I had to leave as fast as I could. I didn't want to go to another family. I wanted this one. I wanted to stay here with Emmett and Rosalie, Alice and Jasper, Esme, Carlisle, Edward and Bella. I knew that it was crazy to want to stay with a vampire family, but that was exactly what I wanted.

I pushed the window open again and pushed off for the trees. I no longer cared about the wolf or anything else. I would live on my own if they no longer wanted me. I had survived living with an awful mother, I could survive this too. I jumped from the tree to another and then another. I was far from the house in a matter a minutes. I dropped to the ground and started walking further into the darkening woods.

I had to find somewhere to sleep tonight. It had to be somewhere where most animals wouldn't bother me. I had to get to a place that no one or nothing could find. I thought back to hide and seek with Emmett and worried that I might be losing this game too. That could be his special ability for all I knew. I kept walking through the dark woods. I kept all of my senses on alert for anyone coming after me, especially that wolf. I hoped that there was only one mutant wolf out here in the woods and not a whole pack of them. I shivered at the thought of being surrounded by them.

I took a deep breath and kept telling myself that I hadn't had a vision of anything bad so I was still safe. I would be able to change my course if something was going to happen. I was starting to feel tired and I knew that I had been walking for a while. The moon was above me now and I didn't seem to be headed toward anything. I looked at the trees that were around and decided that I could climb into one and sleep there. The wolves would have a hard time finding me up there.

I found two branches that made a nice ledge and leaned against the rough trunk. I knew that this wouldn't work. As soon as I fell asleep I would fall out and drop about thirty feet. I sighed and tried to think of another solution. The howl ripped a hole in the silence around me. The cold fear trickled down my back and I knew that I was in trouble. The only place to go was up.


	4. Chapter 4: True Family

I climbed as high as I thought I should and scanned the area around me. There was no sign of the mutant wolf or anything else. Maybe I had heard a normal wolf or a dog or something. I dropped my eyes, but movement had my head snapping back up. I could see Emmett and Rosalie walking toward my tree. I sighed and starting climbing down. I knew that he would be the one to find me. I dropped the rest of the way, which wasn't that far and landed just as they made it to the tree.

"What were you thinking running off like that? Everyone is frantic." Rosalie's voice was cold, but I knew that she had been worried too. I hadn't thought about how my running away would affect them.

I stared up into her eyes and shrugged, "I'm sorry that I worried you. I didn't think about that. I just needed to go."

"Carlisle didn't mean to frighten you. No one is leaving, including you." She sighed, "He didn't want to tell you that until he knew for sure. As a family we have to discuss things and make decisions together. No one wants you to leave."

I walked into her arms and let her hold me. I couldn't fight the emotion that had been sitting right under the surface any longer. Emmett scooped me up and let me cry into his shirt. He carried me back toward the house. This walk showed how far I had really traveled and Emmett seemed to be amazed that I had made it all that way on my own. Everyone was sitting in the living room when we walked in. Edward stood before everyone else and turned toward us. Esme gasped and rushed to my side.

"Is she alright?" Her eyes darted to Edward's face, "You said that she was alright."

Emmett sat me on my feet but kept his hand on my shoulder, "She is alright, tired and emotional, but she's alright."

Esme reached up and brushed something from my hair, "You are never to do that to us again. We didn't know what to think. I was so terrified that something bad had happened."

I saw that Alice and Jasper also looked worried. I took in all the anxious stares and tried to smile, but failed miserably. Esme pulled me into her arms and held me there. Carlisle was standing off to the side staring at the floor. Esme turned to him, "She is fine, that is all that matters." Her voice was comforting and I could see that he needed it.

He looked up and the sadness in his eyes broke my heart, "I am so sorry that I didn't reassure you. I should have made you feel better and not worse."

I pulled away from Esme and walked the ten steps to him, "I shouldn't have left like I did. That was really stupid." I stepped into his embrace and let him know that it was alright. He didn't need to be sad, "I won't ever leave again, unless you send me away. I promise."

"We will never send you away." He kissed my hair and sighed, "That is a promise that I will make to you. You are part of our family now, no matter what."

"Tomorrow we will sit down and talk about all of your thoughts or suspicions about us and we will disclose everything you need to know." Esme patted Carlisle shoulder, "You need to understand that there may be things that you do not need to know though."

I nodded and yawned. It had been a full day and I was ready for it to end. I knew that this would be my family and they all would take care of me. I also knew that there wasn't anything that I wouldn't do for them.

I slept the entire night, but my head was filled with nightmares about huge wolves and my mother. I woke to sun shining through the big windows feeling terrified. I took a deep breath and tried to shake them off. She wasn't coming for me. I was safe here and she wouldn't ever be able to hurt me again.

I walked to the bathroom and got ready for my day. I brushed out most of the tangles in my wet hair, but gave up on the bigger ones. I grabbed it all up and put it in a pony tail. That would have to do. Alice had stocked my closet with so many clothes, but I found the jeans and t- shirts hidden in a chest of drawers at the back of the closet. I really wasn't a frilly dress kind of girl. I loved looking at them and thinking about putting them on, but I couldn't imagine running around outside with one of them on.

Breakfast smells filled the house and pulled me toward the kitchen. My stomach growling told me that I was starving. I bounced down the steps and skipped to the dining room. I froze when I realized that everyone was sitting there watching me. I took a deep breath and sat in the empty chair. Jasper stood at the back of the room with a look of contempt on his face. I wished I knew what he was thinking.

"Good morning, Sam. I hope that you like eggs and pancakes." Esme couldn't help but be motherly. All mothers should have to take a class with her. That would eliminate anyone becoming a mother that shouldn't. She could pass and fail them according to how well they preformed. I smiled at the vision that filled my head.

"Did you sleep well?" I looked up into Carlisle's face and saw the same sadness that was there last night.

"Yes, to both." I picked up the fork, "At least it smells like I will like it." I scanned all the faces and took a bite.

The room was completely still and no one broke the silence. I would look up between bites to see if they were all still there. It was unnerving how quiet they all were. I pushed the plate away and decided that I should start, "Jasper, you don't want me to know anything do you?"

I had thought about this while eating. He was the only one who was standing and the only one that looked angry or frustrated. "I don't think that it is safe for you to know about us. I love you being here, but Jacob was right about you being in danger."

I searched his eyes and that was when I saw it. He was fighting himself. He knew that I shouldn't be here, but he didn't want me to leave. I smiled at him, "I know that you wouldn't hurt me. You saved me from a way worse fate."

He shook his head, "I wish that I could say that it was just about us, but it is more complicated than that."

Bella winced and I wondered what she was remembering, "What makes it dangerous, the secrets? If that is all then I don't want to know about them." I smiled at every face, "I don't want to get any of you in trouble."

Carlisle's smile was refreshing, I was worried that he would never find his again, "Esme said last night that there would be things that you can't know. So I think that any theories or guesses you have about us should be kept to you for now."

Edward shifted and placed his hands on the table, "I will go first." He took a deep breath, "I can read thoughts. There are only a few minds that are closed to me, yours and Bella's included."

Bella shook her head, "Ours are the only ones he can't hear."

"So that's what you do with all of them. They talk to you in their heads?" I was baffled by that. I should be a detective or something. I had gotten that one right in my head.

He nodded his head and turned to Alice, "Okay, well, I can see what is going to happen in the future."

I had no idea that Alice had ability too. I was even more shocked that it was very similar to my own. She continued on when I didn't respond, "I see the path that people take, but if they change that path then my vision changes. I also can't see you or anything to do with you."

"You can't see my future?" I pushed myself back into my chair, that had to be bad or was it because I could change it myself?

"No, I don't know why. I also can't see the…" Someone had kicked her chair under the table, "Sorry, I guess that's not a need to know."

It must have been Edward because she glared at him now, "Sorry, but that isn't up to us."

Jasper cleared his throat, "You pretty much know what I can do. I can feel the atmosphere around someone and change it." I nodded and waited for the others, but no one else spoke up.

"That's it?" I checked each face and then turned to Emmett, "You have a way of finding someone right?"

He shook his head, "What makes you think that?"

I tried to soften the confusion on my face, but couldn't. "You always find me. Even when I ran away you were the one that found me."

"Actually, Rose and I were just the closest one to you. Seth was the one that found you." He cocked his head to the side and squinted at me, "Speaking of you running away, I couldn't stop thinking about how far you were. How did you get that far away?"  
I shrugged and dropped my gaze, "I just walked."

I could tell that no one believed me, but wasn't sure what they were thinking. I wished I could ask them about it, but I didn't want my face to give away the truth if they guessed right.

"I know that you must have questions and we would like to answer them, but we have to be very careful about it." Carlisle's hand found Esme's and they sat hand in hand watching me.

"Why did you really come for me? You aren't really my mother's sister." I watched her face, but was unable to get anything from it.

"Actually, I am related to you mother and have been trying to keep tabs on her. There is no record of her having a child or I would have taken you a long time ago." Esme smiled over at me.

"So my mother isn't my mother or you just can't find when she had me?" I was confused about this. I had always wondered about that. I didn't look anything like her, but I could look more like my father.

"I don't know how she came to be your mother. I suspect that she might have stolen you or something. I don't really think that you are related to her at all."

"I know that you aren't. Your DNA doesn't match hers." Carlisle shook his head and then scratched it, "It does have some similarities to Bella, but not a close relation. I was thinking that maybe Charlie was your dad because the two of you look so similar."

This was a lot of information to take in. If that wasn't my mother, then who was she? Who were my parents and how did I end up with her? I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. I didn't know what to think of this.

"Can I ask you something?" He had leaned across the table and was studying my face, "Is there anything that you can do?"

He looked curious, but I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to tell him about everything that I could do. I decided that I could tell them about the visions. I was curious about those too. I wanted to know how it worked with Alice.

I turned to look at her and met her curious gaze, "I have visions too."

The shock spread across her face and then was replaced by a smile, "What do you mean, visions?"

Okay, just tell them the truth about this. They will understand, they will love you anyway, "If there is any danger entering my path then I have a vision. I am able to change my path so that I am not hurt."

"It just happens with you and no one else? When was the last time that it happened?" Alice couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice.

I noticed that everyone at the table was staring at me with wide curious eyes, "Well, the last time was right before Esme came for me. I had just gotten home from school and was standing in my front yard. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I was looking down at myself lying in the grass somewhere. A man from the neighborhood was standing looking down at me." I swallowed and took a deep breath, "When I closed my eyes again and reopened them I was back in my yard. I just knew that I had to tell my teacher what was going to happen."

Bella's ragged breathing was the only sound in the room. I looked over at her and saw the tear slide down her cheek. "It didn't really happen, I changed it."

I didn't want any of them to be sad for me. I was fine. I was away from all of that and now was safe with them. "Is that the only time that it happened?" Alice's voice was so low I couldn't be sure if she had even spoken or I had imagined it.

"No, there were two other times. The first was when I was really young, a toddler. I was outside alone and I saw myself walking into the road. I knew to stay in the yard. The other was when my mother stopped feeding me. I don't know how long it had been, but I saw myself starved and then I knew to go to the neighbor's house. Something in my head told me that I could trust them and that they would help me." I shrugged.

Carlisle laughed, "That is truly fascinating. You have all of these instincts to keep yourself alive."

Edward laughed with him and added, "And Bella has none at all. She is pulled into the dangerous situations as if she is looking for them specifically."

I looked over at her and saw that she was blushing. I couldn't keep my smile from my face. I remember seeing her stumble up to the porch. She also had a horrible choice of friends. She was dating a vampire and her friend was something else entirely, but also dangerous. She was really asking for trouble.

Esme shook her head and turned back to me, "Is there anything else that you want to tell us or that you would like to ask of us?"

"There are a lot of things that I want to ask, but I don't know if it is a good idea. I would like to pick Alice's brain if that's alright. I want to know how your visions work." I watched as she stood and smiled.

"I would love to talk with you about it."


	5. Chapter 5: Tension

The day passed quickly and I had learned so much about how Alice's vision worked. I was fascinated by the fact that she could have one whenever she wanted. All she had to do was think about someone and she could see where they were headed. I sat in my room that night pushing my brain to try to do the same thing. The only thing that happened was that I got a headache. How unfair was that?

The day had been pretty interesting though. Carlisle had stopped me a few times to ask me different questions. They seemed to be pretty random thoughts on his part, but he seemed like the type that wanted to know everything about everything. One of the questions was when I was born. I didn't have an answer to this. I didn't know when I was born. I mean, in school my birthday was June 7, but I wasn't really sure if that was true. She wasn't even my mother; she could have just made that up too.

He accepted this answer as if he was expecting it. Later he asked me how high I could jump, like most kids know this information. I shrugged and told him I could show him, but I didn't know. He had me demonstrate my jumping ability which I dulled down for them. I probably could have jumped up to the third story window, but I kept it pretty low, maybe too low. He seemed to be satisfied though. It went on like that throughout the whole day, but I didn't mind. There was something about me that he didn't understand and I was curious to find out what it was.

I had always thought that I was different, but didn't know what was wrong with me. I wasn't anything like the other kids, but I had always thought that was because of my lack of parenting. No one made sure that I was clothed or fed. I wasn't sure how I had survived my early years. I must have been close to starvation more than just the once.

I now was on my stomach staring out at the stars. I hadn't heard anything from anyone. They were being extra cautious about conversations. They must have figured out that I could hear them. I sighed and looked up at the moon. It was the one thing in my life that I knew would never change.

I had always loved the moon. It was a great constant in the world. It was always there and always would be no matter where you were. I closed my eyes and slipped into a wonderful dream.

The week passed with nothing changing. Everyone went to school and I started my first day at my new school. I really didn't want to go. I had not had any fun in school in the past. It was nothing wonderful. None of the kids really talked to me. I just stayed on the outside like I always had, watching all of them have fun and play. Home wasn't all that fun either. Alice had said something about someone coming, but I didn't catch who or why.

I did catch Edward asking that this information be kept from Bella. He was worried about her and he didn't want her to feel anxious about it. He was taking her Florida so she wasn't here when this person came. Maybe one of Edward's old girlfriends was coming into town. I wouldn't mind seeing that awkward situation, but no one came here. There was a day when everyone left, but Esme, and as far as knew nothing had happened.

Everyday seemed to be the same thing, school, home, sleep and then repeat. I was hoping for something to change this soon. It was nice not having to worry about the little things like food, but I hadn't expected living with a vampire family to be so normal. Saturday I got my wish. I woke up early and was looking over my weekend homework. The day was pretty quiet with all the boys gone, but Edward burst into the house furious about something. I think he must have forgotten about me being there because he looked exactly how you might picture a vampire.

I shrank back from the sight of him, but he wasn't really seeing anyone, but Alice. "What happened?"

Carlisle was in the room faster than he should have been and was staring at him, "She went to see Jacob. You need to try to stay calm about this. She wouldn't do anything that would get herself hurt."

The laugh that exploded from Edward was cold and mean, "This is Bella we are talking about. She does anything she can to put herself in danger."

He stared at Alice waiting for her to tell him something, a change in her vision. I watched all of them carefully trying to figure out what was going on. Bella had disappeared from Alice's visions. That meant that she was with someone that Alice couldn't see, probably Jacob. I watched as Alice's eyes went blank. Edward having seen the same thing as Alice flashed from the room in a blur. I was in awe at what I had just witnessed. They could do the same thing as me. They were just as fast as I was. How could I be like them though? There was nothing about myself that was like them.

Edward didn't return that night, but Bella became a frequent visitor at the house whenever Edward had to leave, but she didn't seem to be happy about it. I guess I couldn't blame her; Edward was acting like a huge green eyed monster. I understood that Jacob was dangerous, but so was everyone here. She was staying overnight with a house full of vampires. How safe was that?

Bella was smart though. She found a way to outsmart all of them. She somehow was able to convince Jacob to snatch her from school without really convincing him. It was genius really, Alice couldn't know what Jacob was planning and if Bella didn't plan it with him then she was safe from Alice's visions too. Alice was furious and again Edward was very angry, mostly at Alice for allowing it to happen. I thought all of it was pretty funny though, who would have thought that Bella would be so rebellious.

"What did you want me to do Edward?" Alice's scream filled the house. I knew that she was angry with Bella. It had to hurt her that Bella would deceive her this way, "I couldn't forcefully stop her in front of the whole school, could I?"

"You should have tried something, Alice." Alice's face went blank again and Edward jetted out of the house.

It seemed as though Edward had realized that he had been wrong to keep her away from Jacob because he started to allow her to go there. He stopped acting like the jealous boyfriend. Something else had happened to take everyone's attention away from this small problem. Everyone was tense, except Emmett who seemed a bit excited. I knew it had something to do with the killing spree in Seattle. I watched the news carefully trying to find out what it meant for the family, but I didn't know how it could have anything to do with them. I couldn't imagine that one of them was responsible for all those deaths, and I didn't know why they would concern themselves with a problem that far away.

Every day they watched as the numbers climbed and each one of them got tenser. I could feel that something was coming, but didn't know what it was. I listened as Alice went over plans for graduation and for the party after. I was excited about this too. There would be a house full of all of their classmates and friends. I had started to feel as though Jasper's gift was rubbing off on me though. I could feel the tension in the room and it was weighing heavily on me. I couldn't sit here and feel this. I walked out the front door and into the woods.

I sank down under a large tree and closed my eyes. I wanted to do what Alice could do. I wanted to open my head to the possibility that I could see others. I wanted to know that the future was safe for them too. I wanted everything to go back to boring. I was really sorry that I had taken that time for granted.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jasper stood about ten feet away from me.

"Sure. Just couldn't take the tension in there." I folded my legs in front of me and sighed, "I wish that I wasn't on the outside of all of this. I wish that I could know what's going on. I understand why I can't, but that just makes me worry more."

He walked over to me and sat with me, "That must be hard." His brow furrowed as if considering something then smoothed back out, "There is a problem in Seattle that we might have to take care of. If we don't fix it then someone will and we don't want those people here."

"That would be dangerous though." My eyes had widened at the full effect of the situation, "Would you be alright?"

He shrugged and smiled a little, "We have Emmett so that helps. I don't have Alice's gift so I don't know what would happen and unfortunately, Alice won't know what will happen without everyone deciding to go. Carlisle doesn't want to overstep, he is the one holding up the decision."

"Thank you for telling me the truth." I smiled up at him, but knew that it wasn't real, "Was it hard for you in there too?"

"Yes, I am feeling anxious, but it is compounded when everyone around me is feeling the same thing. I wanted to change it, but not everyone appreciates it." I knew what he meant. Sometimes you wanted to feel a certain way and even though Jasper was making you feel one thing, your brain knew that you should be feeling something else.

"I get that, but they would understand if you told them that it was hard for you to feel it that magnified." I never wanted Jasper to feel bad about anything.

"Your right." He stood and looked down at me, "I should get back in there."

I watched as he walked back toward the house. There were others like them out there. Those bad vampires were the one responsible for all the death in Seattle. I took a shaky breath and wished that they would just stop and leave my family alone. I had never considered the possibility of others like them. I had also never considered how the Cullens survived. Where they killing innocent people out there? I wasn't sure that I wanted to know the answer to that. I had to pull myself back from those thoughts. I had to believe that my family was good. That they wouldn't kill people.


	6. Chapter 6: The Fight

The tension and anxiety didn't get any better. The problem in Seattle was getting worse and worse with no sign of the responsible party stopping. I was kept away from the others often. Rosalie, Alice, or Esme would take me out in the woods or out shopping. I knew that I was being removed from the threat of finding something out. Shopping was welcome though. I kept growing out of my clothes. The jeans that had fit nicely the day before were snug or too short for me the next day. I never told anyone this and they seemed to be too occupied with the crisis to notice.

On one shopping trip I was sure that Alice realized what was happening when I corrected her on the size. She stared at me for a few minutes, but shrugged when she saw that the bigger size fit. I could feel that I was changing again, but this time at least it seemed to be a bit slower. I could remember how quickly I had grown when I was younger. My mother was furious with it. She didn't like people hovering over her; she liked keeping a low profile. She didn't want me bringing any attention to her.

It also helped that Alice was holding firm on the graduation party. It was quickly approaching and it gave Bella something else to worry about. She was not happy that everyone was leaving without her, but she also had to worry about a house full of teens. I tried to stay out of the way and decided that it would be a good idea to give them their space with this. They didn't need any more to worry about. I also didn't want to bring any more attention to my growth spurt.

The decision had been made to go to Seattle and take care of the problem and Alice was able to see the outcome. Everyone was happier with this development. The tension was gone and the only thing left was Emmett's excitement. They were leaving after graduation and even though Alice's vision showed a good outcome, Carlisle was still worried about going. I had no idea what any of this meant. I only knew that it was something really bad.

The day before graduation was an exciting one for me. I was going to go to the ceremony with Carlisle and Esme and then back here to the party. I couldn't contain my excitement. I also got to wear one of the nice dresses that Alice had picked out for me, if I could find one that fit. I played dress up most of the day trying to pick the right one. Alice had come up to help and noticed that most of them didn't fit. She left the room confused and never returned.

I had picked out the perfect one that was blue and wasn't too tight and not too short. I had never worn anything so nice before. I twirled in the mirror and would have stayed there all night if I hadn't heard Edward's car flying down the driveway. I changed as quickly as I dared and then made it down to the door just after Bella and Edward had rushed in. I knew that something was wrong. I strained to hear what had happened and was shocked by Bella's words. Emmett had teased her about falling, but she corrected him. Had she really said werewolf? She hit a werewolf?

Esme touched my shoulder, "Are you eavesdropping, young lady?"

I smiled sheepishly up at her, "I was just worried about her. She said that she hit a werewolf?" I couldn't keep the thrill from voice.

There were more monsters around then I had anticipated. That explained why Jacob was a danger. I felt it when he had been here. I couldn't believe that that there were werewolves here, too.

"You are too perceptive for your own good." She shook her head and added, "Yes, the wolf that you saw in the woods was one of the boys from the reservation. They are shifters."

This was another great find.

Graduation day was here and I couldn't wait to attend it. I had never been to one before. Esme helped me get ready. She was not happy with the state of my hair. She kept making little sounds when she found a large tangle that I let grow. I tried to keep my laughter down, but by the end it was just too much. How could she have thought that I would be good with things like brushing hair? I never even had a brush before. I stood in the mirror when she had finally finished looking at the girl that stood there. I was not the same girl that had been saved. I was different, better.

"You seem to be growing like a weed." Carlisle had silently entered the room and was looking down at me with adoration on his face, "You look beautiful."

I turned to the mirror again and realized that he was right; the dress fell right above my knee. It was only last night that it had covered them. I shrugged up at him, "I am being fed a lot better than I was."

There was something there in his eyes that said that he wasn't sure that believed that, but he let it go. "I think that we are ready to go."

I followed him out of the house and down to the car. Esme stood waiting for us with a huge smile on her face. The drive to the school didn't take long and the school parking lot was packed with cars. I took Carlisle's hand as we made our way into the school. I got to meet Bella's dad and Jacob's dad too. Carlisle was really polite to both of them and Charlie seemed very nice, but I could tell that Mr. Black was not happy.

"Bella mentioned you, Samantha." He smiled down at me, "You're what ten or eleven?"

I saw the concern cross Carlisle's face, "I am eight."

Charlie smiled and rubbed his head, "Well, it's been a while since Bella was that young." His easy laugh was warming.

Carlisle excused us and we went to take our seats. I watched as all the graduates came out and took their seats too. I didn't hear a word that any of the people were saying. I was trying to figure out where Alice was. Her seat next to Edward was empty. They started calling their names and I watched as Alice appeared when her name was called. That was really weird, and what was weirder was how Alice looked. She looked like she was concentrating really hard on something.

When Bella's name was called the back of the room erupted. I knew that it was Jacob. I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. I clapped along with everyone else. After the last name was called someone stood and introduced the graduating class and cheers erupted. I watched as the room was filled with flying caps.

We made our way out of the school and left before everyone else. I was excited to help Alice get everything ready for the party. I wasn't as much help as I would have thought. She was like a machine when it came to getting everything done. I would leave a room only to return to it being completely finished. I decided that I would go change and then wait on the porch for the guests. I had to settle on a pair of Capri pants because the new jeans were now to short. I wasn't sure how much longer this would go unnoticed.

The party goers were all nervous looking when they first came to the house. I told Jasper that they all looked like they were entering a haunted house. It was a pretty funny thought though. He laughed with me and he seemed to be in a great mood. Once the party was in full swing, I decided that I would watch everything from the back of the room. I caught familiar faces every now and then and was surprised how my family looked in the lighting. They looked almost scary.

I had wondered into the kitchen when I saw Edward and Alice. I could tell by the look on Alice's face that she was having a vision. Uh Oh. This could only mean that someone had changed their mind about something. I was at her side faster than I should have been, but no one seemed to notice. Jasper had been keeping me in loop to an extent and I was sure that she would tell me too.

We went up the stairs to get away from the music and the prying ears. Edward explained to Carlisle what had happened and I was shocked by this new development. The fight was coming here. They were coming here to fight my family. I stayed close to Carlisle because I knew that any new information would come to him. I was right.

After the party was over, Jasper called everyone down to the dining room. He explained to everyone about the change and he added that wolves would be helping them. They were all going to go meet them in the middle of the woods somewhere and no, I wasn't allowed to go. I sighed and made no attempt to argue. I knew that they wouldn't let me go. I looked around the table and wondered who would be staying here with me.

"I would love to say that Bella will stay here with you, but we all know that she won't be staying home either." Jasper's voice said what everyone was thinking.

Esme stood and walked around the table, "I think that she should come. She will sleep through most of it anyway."

Jasper's gasp gave his opinion away, but Rosalie spoke before he could, "She's right. It's not like any of us are doing a great job of keeping anything from her anyway. She is fine."

I was going to see what they were doing! I couldn't believe it. The excitement was too much for me. I had went up to my bed to sleep until we left, but couldn't. I was still wide awake when Emmett came up and told me that he would be carrying me.

I wish that I could explain everything that happened, but the excitement kept me from sleeping before we left and I was asleep before we made it the field. I woke up in the morning in my warm bed. I missed the whole thing. Everyone told me that I didn't miss anything. All they did was talk. I didn't believe them at all.

I wasn't invited to go with them again. In fact, they had made a deal with the wolves about my safety. I was going to be spending a lot of time with Emily from the reservation. I had never met anyone on the reservation before and now I was going to have to spend all my time there. I expressed my unhappiness with the situation, but no one seemed to care about it.

It really wasn't so bad anyway. She was really nice and she was an amazing cook. I didn't understand why she kept making so much food, but there was always something there for me to eat.

The time had come for everyone to prepare for the visitors so I was sleeping over at Emily's house. Edward was taking Bella away somewhere to keep her safe and everyone else would be preparing. I would be spending two days and nights with Emily. I got to see firsthand why she made so much food. I was leaning against the counter when the door opened and five large boys walked in. They muttered hellos to Emily, but ignored me. I kept my eyes on the floor. I was not comfortable with any of them. Being near one of them made me want to crawl out of my skin, so having a house full of them was horrible. I escaped up to the loft where I slept and watched them from the shadows. They must be hollow. They ate like it was their last meal. Which I guess it could be for some of them. Well, they all had tomorrow to eat.

They looked like regular boys, well really large regular boys. There was nothing about them that was scary, but there was something that made me feel threatened. Emily hadn't given me any information, but maybe one of the boys would be able to. I looked them over and was shocked to see one of the younger ones staring up at me. I pulled back further and held my breath.

"Seth, we have to get home. Mom wants us rested for the fight." A girl's voice filled the small house. I peeked back out and saw that the boy that had been watching me was the one she was talking to.

"Okay, Leah." He stood up, shooting one more look my way before walking slowly out the door.

"That's a good idea. We all need to make sure that we are rested for this fight. There are only two nights and we all have to be ready. I don't want to have to talk to anyone's families because they weren't careful enough." Sam's voice wasn't very menacing. It was more fatherly. After they were all gone Sam looked up at me and smiled, "That goes for you too. You need to get some sleep. Emily will need help keeping all of them fed. We all need our strength for this."

I smiled back and crawled over to the bed. I guess it wasn't so bad here.

The next day was filled with making food, food and more food. I had never seen so much food in my life. How did anyone afford to buy all of this food? I felt horrible for Emily, but she seemed really happy to do it. She reminded me a lot of Esme. She was just a natural mother. I loved being around her, just like I loved being around Esme. I made sure to keep my distance from the boys when they came around to eat, but I stayed close enough that I could hear their conversations.

I wasn't impressed by the way that they referred to my family, and I got the impression that they were enemies. Sam was quick to quiet any talk that painted my family in a bad light. I was really starting to like him. Seth hung around the house more than he had the day before and I was very careful to stay clear of him. There was something about the way he was looking at me that had me on edge and I didn't know what to think of it.

The other boys had started looking at me weird too, but not bad weird, just weird. It was almost like they had just realized that I was there, but that didn't stop them from talking about the fight. I had gathered plenty of information about it. Apparently there was a vampire in Seattle that had created an army of vampires to kill Bella. I wasn't sure why, but I knew that it was bad. The plan was for a couple of the youngest wolves to stay here to make sure that none of them came here. Seth was sitting with Edward and Bella and the rest would be fighting alongside the Cullens.

That night was tense for me. I knew that the fight would happen sometime during the day and that Emily was worried about all of them, too. I didn't think that I would ever fall asleep. Every time I closed my eyes I saw something bad happening. I finally fell asleep, but I was restless.

The next morning Sam said goodbye to Emily and reassured her once again that everything would be fine. I could tell by her smile that his words didn't make her feel any better. I knew that neither one of us would be okay until we knew that they had all made it back in one piece. The day was slow going. Every now and then Collin or Brady would come in to let us know what was happening and to get something to eat. There was always one of them in wolf form. They were keeping close to the house so that they could talk to us and get food easily.

I eventually couldn't take it anymore and walked outside to sit with them. They still had the feel of danger about them, but there was something about them in wolf form that was cute. They were like big fluffy dogs. I am pretty sure that they would have ripped my head off, literally, if I had voiced this thought out loud so I kept that one to myself.

I was worried when something changed. Brady disappeared into the woods and returned in his human form and looked at Emily with wide eyes.

"It's Seth. They were ambushed up on the mountain." He shook his head in disgust, "Two of the blood suckers found the Cullen's scent and followed it there."

He disappeared again and returned as the wolf again. They whimpered every now and then wishing that they could be there to protect their brothers. Emily kept her arm around my shoulders and we waited together.


	7. Chapter 7: The Wedding

Edward and Bella were in trouble. How could this have happened? Alice should have seen something. They should have been warned. I squeezed my eyes shut. They would be alright. They had Seth with them. It didn't help that Collin and Brady kept whining like something was wrong.

"I need one of you to give me an update please." Emily looked into Collin's eyes, "Are they all okay so far?"

He nodded and then turned back to the woods. I knew that they both wanted to rush into the woods and help their friends and their brothers, but they couldn't. Sam had told them to stay here and that's what they had to do. I dug my nails into the palm of my hand to keep myself seated. I knew how they felt. I wanted to dash into the woods and help too. The only difference was that there was nothing I could do to help. I would get in the way and cause someone I loved to be hurt.

My leg started shaking and I fought to get it to stop. I couldn't sit still. I jumped off the picnic table and started pacing. I could see Emily wringing her hands in her lap. Collin slowly walked into the woods and returned in his human form.

"It's over, everyone is fine." He smiled over at us, "Sam is rounding everyone up. The physic one said that someone is coming and the wolves need to be gone by the time they get there."

It was that moment that I knew everything had shifted and someone wasn't coming back in one piece. Brady let a loud whine and the air went completely still. Emily stopped breathing and we waited to hear who had been hurt and how badly. The wails filled the air and I knew that it had been one of their own. One of the wolves was howling in horrible pain. Brady disappeared and was back in a flash still buttoning his pants, "It's Jacob. They missed one and when Leah tried to kill him he almost crushed her. Jacob knocked her out of the way, but was grabbed instead. They are bringing him to Billy's."

Emily grabbed my hand and pulled me toward her car. Her hands were shaking so badly that I almost offered to drive for her. She drove like a bat out of hell on the way there. I was sure that we wouldn't make it, but she slammed the brake right outside of Billy's house. She came close to hitting Charlie's cruiser. She burst into the house leaving me sitting in the car. I slowly stepped out, but stayed near it. I didn't want to be anywhere near that noise when it got here.

I watched as they carried him into the house. I had never even heard some of the words coming out of his mouth and I knew a lot. He didn't calm down at all. Emily came back out with Sam and they both looked horrible. I sighed and sank down on the ground. I knew that they weren't going to leave until they knew that he was alright. Seth sank down in front of me.

"He's going to be alright." I looked up into his eyes and nodded.

"I know. There's no way that someone with a mouth like that was going to die." I smiled when he laughed, "How are you? The ambush had been unexpected right?"

He looked at me with a curious look in his eye, "Did Collin tell you that?" He shook his head, "We were fine. Edward is a good fighter. He was taunting the red headed one to get her to attack. We really thought that she was going to run again."

I closed my eyes and sighed, "I am glad that it is over. Hopefully everyone can relax now."

He tossed a rock away from the house, "Well almost everyone can relax. Bella will have a lot on her plate, with the wedding and everything."

What did he say? "Edward and Bella are getting married?"

This question went unanswered. Carlisle's voice pulled me from that thought. I stood up to see him and Edward standing by the door talking to Sam and Billy. I could also see that Charlie wasn't too far off. That was going to be a complication. Charlie didn't know anything about anything. He didn't even suspect any of them. For a cop he was too trusting, but I guess he wouldn't come across these kinds of monsters on duty. I was also sure that they didn't go over these types in training.

Edward walked over to me and pulled me into a hug, "Are you alright, little one?"

I wrapped my arms around his waist, "I was here safe, what about you? Are you and Bella alright?"

He stepped back from me, but kept his arm on my shoulders, "We are both good. It was a little crazy there for a bit, but I couldn't have done it without Seth." I saw him shoot a look at Seth, "When Carlisle is finished here; we are going to take you home."

"It was really nice having you with me." Emily smiled, but the worry never left her eyes, "I would love for you to come back and stay sometime."

I nodded and smiled back at her. It had been fun staying here and the more time I spent with the others the more comfortable I would be. "I had a lot of fun, thank you." I walked over to her and hugged her, "He will be alright, don't worry."

Carlisle had stayed with Jacob, so Edward took me home. Bella was already gone by this time; Alice had said that she was heading toward Billy's house. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near that place right now. If Seth knew that Bella was marrying Edward then Jacob had to know too. All the wolves had to know. It had to be hard to love someone that you could never really have.

Alice was in complete wedding mode and my growing was no longer being missed. Carlisle was baffled by it and he didn't know what to think. I was growing a lot faster than a normal kid and I confided in him that I wasn't really sure how old I was. I never celebrated a birthday and when you are young you really don't know anything about time. Seasons weren't marked with weather like in other places where I grew up.

He took measurements of me every day at the same time. I was now out of school and Carlisle wasn't sure if I would be able to go back. No one was sure what I would look like after the summer. I was starting to move to early teens now. Esme had mentioned something to Alice about puberty. I knew that meant that I would start changing. I was starting to look more like a woman and less like a little kid.

"I'm not sure how we are going to send you to school next year as a nine year old when you look like you are fourteen." He scratched his head and added, "I guess there is always home schooling."

I liked that idea, always being around the family. "You know that I would love that."

He shook his head, "There isn't much that they are teaching there anyway. You are a good learner."

The wedding plans were coming along great for everyone, but Bella. It seemed that being engaged was not welcome for her. She hated that Edward bought her a car and that it was very flashy. Apparently he had borrowed it from someone that he knew overseas. It was supposed to be indestructible. I thought it was funny.

Seth came around a lot. He and Edward had become friends after the whole fight on the mountain. There was some sort of respect there or something. I didn't mind him being around. It was nice having someone close to my own age around. I was excited about the wedding because some of the Cullen's friends were going to be there and I couldn't wait to meet them. I had heard a little about them, but not much. Carlisle had made the mistake of telling Bella about their mother and I could see that she was completely freaked out about it. It was something about baby vampires that couldn't control themselves. I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to inflict that on a child, but who was I.

Alice had picked out an amazing dress for me, but once a week it had to be fitted. I was starting to worry about the growth. What if it didn't stop? What if by the time I was sixteen I looked like I was thirty? What if my lifespan was drastically short? Carlisle tried to reassure me, but he was thinking the same thing. I could tell.

The wedding was upon us and Bella was out of her mind. She had not slept the night before and Alice was not happy about it. I was dressed and waiting for guests at the front door, while Alice got Bella ready. Everyone looked great and seemed to be very happy. It was not hard to pick Tanya and her family out of the group though. Carlisle walked up to me when they got to the door and introduced me to all of them. I didn't know what to say, they were all stunning.

"It is very nice to meet you Samantha." Tanya's voice was like an angel. I smiled up at her and tried to pull words out, but nothing came. She smiled and they were ushered past me. I shook my head and turned to meet the next guest.

"Hey Seth," I looked past him and saw Billy and Sue Clearwater.

"Hey Samantha, you look great." He stood smiling at me and I couldn't help but notice how nice he looked also. He was not much older than me and when he smiled you could see it.

"Thanks. Hello, Billy, Bella will be happy that you came." I stepped back so they could get past with the wheel chair. Billy was a good friend to Charlie and couldn't have missed it even if he wanted to.

I greeted the rest of the guests that arrived and then found my seat. I hadn't seen Bella in her gown and I was itching to see. The music started and I craned my neck to see her at the top of the stairs. The look on her face was priceless. It was somewhere between contemplating running for it and fighting the urge to be sick. Besides the fear, she was stunning. She was easily the most beautiful person in the room and that was saying something.

I turned to see Edward's face as he caught sight of her and I was sure that it was awe. If he could have been crying, there would have been tears running down his face. He looked at her like this was the first time he was seeing her. Carlisle was beaming next to him, the very proud papa. This was truly a very happy occasion. The ceremony was beautiful and the kiss at the end was a bit much. Charlie cleared his throat to break them apart. They must have forgotten that there was a room full of people, because Bella was a new shade of red when she pulled herself away.

The reception was over the top as usual, but it was so much fun. I got to dance with everyone, Emmett being the most fun. Edward informed me that Seth wanted to dance with me, but was afraid to ask me. I wasn't sure how to take that so I pretended that he hadn't said anything. I stopped to grab a drink and that's when he approached me.

"This is really nice. I think that Bella and Edward will be really happy together." He had a way of making you smile. There was just something about him that brought it out.

"They are really happy. This is just the next step for them." I turned to scan the dance floor and realized that Bella was no longer on it.

A noise brought me up short and I realized that the party was being monitored from the woods. The wolves had come after all. Seth stared into the darkness.

"So the Cullens can't be trusted after all, huh?" He didn't look at me when I said this, "Did you really think that they would let something happen?"

He turned toward me, "They aren't here for the Cullens. They are here to make sure that Jacob doesn't do something that makes all of us look bad."

This took me by surprise. I scanned the guests again, but didn't see him. Bella was still missing and Edward was dancing with Rosalie over by the spot that Seth kept watching. "He's here right now? Bella is out there with him?" This made me nervous. There were too many opposing sides here and innocent bystanders.

He nodded and then tensed. "Jacob, keep it together." He mumbled this, but walked across the floor. I knew something had changed and started following him. I made it to the end of the floor when Emmett's arm circled me.

"What's happening?" I looked up at his face and new that something had set Jacob off. I could hear Seth's voice pleading with Jacob. He was desperate to calm him down. He didn't want a fight here.

Emmett's low voice wouldn't be heard by any of the other guests that were oblivious to the problem, "Jacob's angry and they are trying to calm him down."

I nodded and let him twirl me. We swayed close to that spot in case Emmett was needed, but Bella and Edward emerged onto the dance floor and Emmett left me for Bella. I made it Edward's side with just enough time to ask how Seth was.

"He's fine. He went back with the others." He disappeared onto the dance floor leaving me standing there.

Poor Jacob, it must be miserable for him.

The rest of the night went as planned. Edward and Bella left for their honeymoon and I was ushered up to bed. I had to admit that I was exhausted. I was still thinking about Seth when I fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8: The Move

Nothing was really different the next few weeks. I was still changing and it was becoming harder for me to be seen in town. Carlisle would just tell people that I had gone away for the summer. School had started now and it was harder to deal with that. I had decided that it would be best if I actually did go away to school. I wouldn't have to hide and I could start in a higher grade.

"I don't know about being away from you." Emmett was the one fighting me leaving. I think it was because he liked having someone around that would horse around with him.

"What should I do then, Emmett? I can't just hide in the house. People know that we live here and I am supposed to be a nine year old." I wondered what would have happened to me if Esme hadn't come for me before. How would I be able to hide who I was now? I shuddered to think how I would have survived.

So far life had been pretty great for me. I didn't have to worry about dying and I was able to be a semi normal kid. It sucked that it was over now and I was moving more into the teen years, but I knew that those would be fine too.

"Rosalie and I will come with you if you want." I shook my head at him and saw the sadness enter his eyes, "I don't want you out there all alone."

I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him, "Emmett, I will be staying at the school. It's a private school and there is nothing to worry about. I will call you every day. You will have to let me know how Bella is when she gets back. I will also be close to Dartmouth where they are going to school. So you all will be with me soon anyway."

This seemed to make him feel a bit better about my leaving. Bella and Edward would be back within a few weeks and then everyone would be moving out close to Dartmouth. My school, Kimball Union Academy, was not far from Dartmouth College. I was sure that the only reason that Carlisle had been alright with the idea was because they would be moving there not long after me. I also knew that he was worried about my growth. I was enrolling late to make sure that the growth was really slowing down. In the week since the wedding I had changed drastically. I was now a fifteen or sixteen year old. I was starting in the ninth grade at the academy.

I was supposed to be starting the fourth grade this year. Luckily I was a quick learner or I would be doomed to home school. I had hated school before, but I think that I repelled people. I didn't want people to talk to me, I wanted to be excluded. Now I was feeling more confident and I was wishing that I had friends.

I would be starting the new school in a week as long as the growth stayed pretty slow. It had been two days since my last growth spurt. I was staying steady at sixteen. Carlisle and Esme were trying to find out when I was actually born and Esme had even paid my mother a visit. She wouldn't tell me what she had found out, but I knew that she had found out something. I hated being in the dark.

"Are you all packed?" Alice walked into my room and looked at the suitcases and boxes that were scattered around.

I had acquired a lot of things over the time I had spent here and it was becoming obvious now. "I didn't realize how much I had. I hope that there is enough room in the dorm room for all of the things I want to take."

She leaned against the wall, "You have a private room, so it should be alright. Anything that you don't want to take right now will come with us to the new house."

I sighed and dropped onto the bed, "I am really starting to wonder if this is a mistake." I rubbed my eyes with the palms of my hands.

"I think that this will be good to have under your belt. Graduating from this school will be good on any college application if you decide to go." She walked over and sat gracefully next to me. She reached her hand out, "I got you this."

There was a small locket in her hand. I picked it up and examined the design etched into the side. I opened it carefully and couldn't stop the tear that filled my eye and slid down my cheek. "Oh, Alice, it is perfect."

The picture in it was the entire family, half on one side and half on the other side. The pictures had to be shrunk down to fit into the little holder, but she had managed it perfectly. "You are acting like you will never see us again. We will be there in just a couple of weeks. You could actually wait too if you wanted."

"I know, but I think the sooner I start the less I will be behind." I slipped the chain around my neck and held the locket to my chest.

"Like you could be behind, really." She stood up, "You show me another nine year old girl entering the ninth grade."

I watched as she disappeared from the room. I checked the drawers and the closet one more time before separating everything into two piles, one that went with me now and the other that would be moved to the new house.

Emmett was the next in the room, but he seemed to be feeling better about the short time apart. I showed him what I was taking with me and he carried all of it in one load. Since the fight with Victoria the Cullens stopped trying to hide what they were. They were open with their speed, their strength and their diet. It was refreshing to have all of the answers now.

Carlisle was the only one going with me to the school; the others were staying behind to wait for Edward and Bella. Alice had assured us that Bella was still human and would be for a little while longer. I had worried about how she would feel about going to college and postponing the change, but she really wanted Edward to be the one to do it.

Carlisle was driving to New Hampshire, which was on the other side of the states. That meant two days in the car. I knew it was easier with all of my things and the way that Carlisle drove it wouldn't be as long. I also didn't think it would be hard for me to sleep in the car. A few hours into the drive I decided to bring up my thoughts on being changed.

"I don't know if this is a life that you really want." He looked over at me with love in his eyes, "If it is something that you are ready for then we will talk then."

"I don't know. I know that I want to wait until I am a little older, but what if I start to grow again. I don't want to look like I am sixty in my twenties." I looked out the window, "If it starts again, then I want you to change me. I want it to stop at an age that I am okay with."

He shook his head, but changed the subject, "Did you and Seth say your goodbyes before?"

Touchy subject, "No, he asked me not to go and when I told him I had to he was mad. He hasn't been back."

"He really cares about you and I am sure that he feels bad about you going." He reached over and patted my knee, "He will regret not saying goodbye."

"I don't know. He was my only friend and he just ran away." I closed my eyes hoping that he would drop it.

Seth had become a permanent fixture at the house. He came around asking about Edward and Bella, which I knew was for Jacob. He also hung around me a lot. We would watch television or walk through the woods. It was nice to have someone to talk to. I didn't have to pretend with him. I could be me with him without worrying about what he would think. He was different too. He had a secret too, but they weren't secrets kept from each other. I had cried myself to sleep the night that he had left angry. I knew that he wasn't coming back. I knew that he was gone forever. I wasn't sure if I would ever see him again. We could never go back to Forks. We would have to move to different places and I may never see Forks again if I didn't make the change.

The drive was long and exhausting. Almost two days in a car is not fun for anyone. Carlisle didn't seem to care about it physically, but mentally I knew that he was relieved to be there. The car was staying with me and he would be flying back. He helped me unload everything and walked around the campus with me. It was nice to have him there. No one seemed to mind about my late entrance and I suspected it was because of Carlisle. He had a way of getting what he wanted and making people happy about giving it to him.

It was hard for me to say goodbye to him and the loneliness was almost overwhelming. I would be starting classes the following day and I knew that I had to be rested and prepared. I was able to unpack everything before I was ready for sleep. The drive and the unpacking had luckily taken everything out of me and I was able to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep.

The faculty and the students were very inviting and I easily found a niche for myself. There were a few students that I spoke with and seemed to be really great. I had a good feeling about being here. This was where I was supposed to be, for now.


	9. Chapter 9: Panic

The weeks flew by and my anticipation for the arrival of my family was overflowing from my head. I was having a great time at school and I had made a few friends, but I still missed everyone else more. I talked to most of them every day, but it wasn't the same as seeing Emmett's easy smile, or Rosalie's scowl. I needed to be around Alice's excitement and Jasper's calm. Seth still hadn't contacted me and it made my heart ache terribly. I sent him some emails, but I knew he had no way of getting them.

When I asked about him, they always just said that he wasn't around. I had chased him away. I wanted to make that better too. He was so fun and free spirited and now I pictured him as sad and lonely. I hoped that I was wrong, but something made me think that I wasn't. It was a few days before they were supposed to arrive and I couldn't wait. I would have to make plans on visiting the reservation too. I had to see him and make it better.

I hadn't expected the phone call that I received though, "The move is going to have to wait. There is a problem with Bella. She won't be starting school." Carlisle tried to hide the edge and the worry, but I could hear it.

"What's wrong with her? Did he change her already?" I held my breath knowing that it couldn't be that. Carlisle wouldn't worry about that.

"She is sick and we have to take care of her. It's a complicated problem and I am not sure how to fix it." Not again, he was talking around the real issue.

"Just tell me the truth, Carlisle. I thought we were past all of the lies and cover ups. If something is wrong with Bella I want to know." I couldn't believe that we were back to this.

"It's complicated and I don't want you to worry about it." He sighed knowing that I wouldn't drop it, "She is pregnant."

The words hit me like a ton of bricks. Pregnant. What did that mean? How did that happen? It couldn't be true, "What?"

"I told you that it's complicated. The baby is growing so fast and it is killing Bella. She won't let me do anything to help her and as far as I can see, she is not going to survive this." The pain cracked his voice and I knew that his heart was breaking.

"How is Edward?" He must be going insane right now.

"He isn't good. He wants to save Bella and it is killing him to watch her like this." I could tell how horrible he felt about the situation, "Bella is certain that she can deliver the baby and I can save her before it is too late. I am not so sure."

"She is strong and I know that it will be alright." I looked around the room and sighed, "I will be on the first flight out. I will tell them that there is a family emergency."

"No, absolutely not. This is not where you need to be right now. There is more going on here than you know. It would be better and safer for you there."

"No way, why isn't it safe for me?"

"There is a situation with the wolves. They are worried about the baby. There is no way for us to know what it will be like. It could be horrible. Nothing like this has ever happened before. They are concerned that we won't be able to control it." There was a scream in the background, "I have to go, please stay where you are."

The line went dead. I wanted to know what situation there was with the wolves, but I knew that Carlisle was dealing with a lot. I dialed a number I had used all throughout the summer.

"Hello." Sue Clearwater's voice sounded tired.

"Hello Sue, is Seth there?"

A sigh filled the receiver, "I don't understand why you're calling, Samantha." There was a touch of panic in her voice, "He is at your house, isn't he?"

"I am not at home. I am still at school. I just wanted to make sure that everything was fine." Why would Seth be at my house?

"There has been a tear in the pack and Seth has joined Jacob to protect Bella. He doesn't think that Sam should be trying to kill Bella with her still alive. I have to say that I agree, but it is hard knowing that my baby and my daughter may have to fight the others."

"Sam wants to attack the Cullens to kill Bella?" I almost dropped the phone when it all sunk in. I tried without success to steady my hands. "I have to go."

I had to think about this. My family was in trouble and they were being protected by a few wolves. I had to get to home; I wouldn't sit out another conflict. I couldn't just stay here going on with my school life while my family was dying. I fired up my computer and booked my flight home. I was missing them too much anyway. I would never forgive myself if any of them were killed while I sat here. I packed a bag and walked from my room. I had to let the school know that I was going home. I was sure that would be harder to accomplish without a parent's permission.

"Hey, Sammy, are you going somewhere?" Lexie and I had become good friends the first day I was here. She had introduced herself to me and showed me to most of my classes. We had taken to each other quickly.

"Something has happened at home and I have to get there now." I looked at her and smiled, "You wouldn't know how to do that without needing a parent's permission would you?"

She smiled back, "Of course. I will talk with them about it in a few days. I will tell them that your dad came in and pulled you out. You looked upset and he looked upset. You should be home by then and they can call him." It was Friday and they were supposed to be coming into town this weekend, so I was permitted to leave for the weekend anyway.

I had completely forgotten about that, "Thank you so much. I will be back as soon as everything is settled." I pulled her into a hug and then darted for the stairs. I just had to get out of here before an adult could stop me.

Luckily it was easier than I thought and I was able to get to my car without incident. I headed straight to the airport. I was able to get airborne before calming down any. I was terrified that Carlisle had frozen my cards or called the school or canceled my ticket. It must have been bad at home. I closed my eyes and tried to keep myself from freaking out on this plane. I wanted to get there fast, but nine hours is nine hours no matter how fast you want it to go.

I was able to walk a little, but I kept myself in my chair for the most part. When the plane landed I hadn't thought about how I was going to get home. I called home, but no one answered. The drive was too long from here. I still had about two hours to get home. What to do?

"Are you alright?" The guy standing a few feet in front of me came into focus. He was pretty cute. Dark hair, dark eyes, and nice smile.

"I think so." I looked around the terminal and sighed, "I was in such a hurry to get here, that I didn't think any further than the airport."

"I take it you don't live close." He picked up his bag and walked toward me, "I am going to Forks, and if you are headed that way then I can drop you."

This was a huge debate. I could drive two hours with a cute guy that I didn't know or spend the night in the airport. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples.

"Samantha." A voice that was vaguely familiar, but I still couldn't place called from behind me.

I turned and saw Charlie making his way through the still crowded airport. "Apparently someone was looking out…" I turned toward the cutie, but he was gone. That was really weird, "Hey Charlie, what are you doing here?"

He smiled at me, but it didn't reach his eyes, "Jacob called me and asked me to pick you up for him. Something came up and he couldn't make it."

"Thank you, I was just starting to panic." I followed him out to the cruiser, "I came back as soon as I heard about Bella."

He didn't look back at me. He hopped into the car and kept his eyes on the windshield. I knew that he wasn't a talker and he definitely wouldn't want to talk about this. I tried to keep my eyes open on the way home, but couldn't manage it. Charlie was shaking my arm an hour later. I saw the silver Volvo parked at the end of the driveway. How had they known that I was coming?

I stepped out of the cruiser and smiled back at Charlie. I waved as he pulled away without any response. The poor guy was frantic for his daughter. I wonder what they had told him. Jacob stepped out and took my bag, "You should have listened to Carlisle. It isn't a good place for you right now."

"Why are you here then?" I jumped into the passenger seat and sighed, "This is my family Jacob. You just don't turn the other way when they are in trouble. I can help."

"You can get yourself hurt." He shook his head, but smiled.

"So what exactly is going on here?" I watched him carefully, "The truth would be great."

I saw his jaw tighten and his eyes flash, "I am not sure how much they want you to know." He considered it for a second then continued, "The other wolves found out about Bella through me and they freaked out. Sam decided that we couldn't wait for her to give birth. I knew that it wasn't the right thing to do, so I took my place as a leader. Seth and Leah followed."

"So the three of you are protecting the Cullens from the other wolves?" I looked up at the house and sighed, "I really missed this place."

"You may reconsider that when you find out how angry they all are at you." He jumped out of the car and disappeared into the woods. His howl let me know that he was no longer human. I stared out at the dark woods and wondered where Seth was out there.

I sighed and stepped out. I looked back up at the house and saw Alice and Jasper standing there. Alice looked tired if that was possible. "You were told to stay put."

"You know that was not a command that I could follow." I jumped up the steps and wrapped my arms around her waist. I had missed her cold embrace. It hadn't been long, but I still missed it. "How is she?"

Jasper shook his head, "Not good at all. She is fighting it so hard, but it is just killing her. She is drinking blood now and that seems to be helping some, but she just isn't strong enough."

Edward walked out and pulled me into his arms, "I am glad that you are here."

"She's going to be alright. You have to believe that. Fight with her Edward. She needs you now more than any other time." I pulled back and smiled, "We will all fight with her."

"I have missed you." He kissed my head and then disappeared back into the house.

"It has been very hard on him. I can't imagine anything worse than watching your one and only love dying in front of your eyes." He met Alice's eyes. I felt like I was intruding on something special. I walked into the house and left them alone.

Rosalie was sitting on the floor near Bella and Edward was sitting on the table in front of her. I could smell the blood that she was drinking. It was at that moment that I realized what had been different about Alice and Jasper. Edward and Rosalie were the same. Their eyes were pitch black. They were all hungry.

Esme pulled me from the room, "Carlisle asked you to stay where you were, but I am glad you came anyway." She hugged me gently, "There is something I want to talk with you about." I followed her up the steps and into her room. There were blueprints everywhere and different paint swatches, "I know that you asked me about what your mother had said. I want you to know everything that we found, but you need to know that it isn't much."

I nodded and sank down on one of the stools sitting in the back corner. This is what I had asked for and I needed to know.

"Okay, well your mother told us that she never knew your father. Your mother was a girl that she worked with. She got pregnant by someone that she said was death and that you killed her. She said that it was the scariest thing that she ever was a part of, but she promised her that she would take care of you. She admits that she punished you for killing your real mother." She rubbed her temples, "We think that maybe your situation is very similar to Bella's."

I took a breath and shook my head. It just wasn't sinking in right now. I couldn't get anything that she had just said make sense to me. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. "I don't understand." I could barely get those words out.

"I know this is hard to really comprehend, but you are already similar to the baby. You grow faster than you should and you can do things that a normal kid can't do." She walked over to me and patted my arm, "I know this is hard, but I think that you are truly one of us."

"What does this mean for me? Can I still be changed? I don't want to die." I was on my feet and pacing the floor, "I am growing at an unnatural speed Esme, I do not want to wake up tomorrow and be sixty."

"I know that this is hard for you. We will figure this out, I promise you. She also told us that you are six years old. So you really weren't that far off." She pulled me into her arms and held me there, "We will not lose you. We will fix this."

Carlisle stood in the doorway looking like the world was on his shoulders. I guess that it was.


	10. Chapter 10: Renesmee

I thought talking to Sam and the others would help with the problem, but everyone vetoed that. No one knew how they would react to me and they weren't taking any chances. I knew it had to help, but I couldn't add to their stress. I would listen to them for now.

Seth had been around the house, but he still wasn't talking to me. I didn't know if he would ever forgive me or if the friendship we had was lost forever. I would see him outside my window every night, but only in wolf form. He wouldn't come to me any other way. I didn't see how it had gotten this bad in his head. One decision had turned him so far against me.

Bella was just getting worse and worse and the blood supply was almost gone. She was drinking more and more. The baby was growing at an amazing speed and the bigger it got the more it needed. It was hard for me to watch it destroying her. Edward had gotten closer to it. He was able to hear some of its thoughts now. He was feeling better about everything, more confident. This change was helping Bella, but only mentally.

I couldn't stand to watch my family withering away either. I sat on my hands for as long as I could. I needed to find a way to get to Sam. I had to talk to them and make them understand that Bella and the baby were not a threat to anyone. I had grown up with an abusive mother and was just fine. No lives had been lost. I was being watched carefully though and I knew that it would be hard to escape.

Bella seemed to be my only distraction. She was in pain a lot and everyone was always fluttering around her. I would have to wait for her to have another major problem and then I could sneak out. Every day was spent lingering around the front door waiting for the perfect moment. My chance came on a Tuesday. It had only been a few days since I had started thinking about this plan. I was sitting on the porch steps when Bella's scream filled the silence. Jacob came running up the steps and disappeared into the house.

I wanted to follow him, but I knew that this would be the only chance I had. I jumped from the steps and ran for the woods. The only people I hadn't planned on meeting were Seth and Leah. Leah didn't seem to care that I was running away, but Seth was on me. He was in his wolf form and wouldn't move out of my way.

"Seth, really, I have to do this." I stepped to his right, but he moved with me, "Why do you even care? You turned your back and forgot all about me."

I knew that this was below the belt, but I had to get there before anyone else noticed. I saw the pain flash in his eyes, but he refused to move. I dropped to the floor and wrapped my arms around my head. I should have known that it wouldn't work. There was nothing I could do to help them and it was killing me.

"This isn't the way." Seth's voice filled the silence and his arms wrapped around me, "Jacob, Leah and I aren't sure what he will think of that. No one wants you to get hurt."

"Every one of them is hurting. They are all starving to protect Bella." I rested my head on his shoulder and let him hold me, "I hate having to sit there while they all get worse and worse."

"Seth, we need to make sure the path is clear." Jacob walked up behind me, but didn't stop. He walked past us.

Seth jumped up and followed behind. Leah was not far behind him. I watched them leave and tried to figure out what I should do. Make a run for La Push or go back to the house. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "If we thought that it would help, we would have sent you to his house. We can't lose you right now, or ever." Edward's voice was the voice that filled the small clearing. "Come back to the house, please."

I stood up and let him lead me back to the big house, "What happened to her?"

"He is just so cramped in there." He looked down at his hands as we walked, "Esme, Alice, Carlisle and Jasper are going hunting and to get more blood for Bella." He stopped on the porch and looked out at the woods, "As soon as Jacob gives them the all clear. I told Carlisle that you would be alright here. Seth won't let you get to La Push. You have to stop trying to fix this."

"Okay, I will stay put." I smiled up at him.

I watched as he disappeared into the house. It wouldn't take long for them to search the line. I leaned against the wall and listened to the sounds of the house. How had this all gone so wrong? There was a wedding here only a month or so ago. This was a happy place and now it was a place full of worry and despair. Jacob was standing at the bottom of the steps looking up at me. "It's clear."

He jumped the steps and went inside. I walked to the edge of the porch and tried to find him, but he wasn't there. It had only been a momentary lapse on his part. I tried to stop the tears that filled my eyes, but there was nothing I could do. I wiped at them angrily. I didn't want to cry, I wanted to be strong for everyone. I didn't want to be weak.

"So, they are leaving finally." His voice pulled me back and I found the strength to stop the tears, "Are you crying?" Apparently not fast enough.

"No, I was just…" I sniffed and tried to strengthen my voice, "A bug flew into my eye or something."

His soft laugh was music to my ears, "I thought only guys said stuff like that. Girls are supposed to be okay with emotion." He was on the last step, "I have to say that I hate to see you cry though."

I sighed and walked past him toward the woods. I turned and faced him in the driveway, "I hate crying. You did this to me. I didn't used to cry. I was tough, besides what good is crying anyway."

"I did this to you?" The smile was still on his face.

"Yes, you were the only real friend I had and you just left." I pulled my fists up to my face, "You think that I can just stay here, you know that I can't." I threw them into the air and sighed, "We should have had this fight already."

It was frustrating to be having it now, but he didn't seem to mind, "I didn't know what to do. I knew that my mom wasn't going to send me to school there, plus I have the pack to think about too. I didn't know how to deal with it. I knew that you had to go, and I wouldn't be able to see you."

"We could have talked and emailed. We didn't have to stop being friends." I dropped my hands and made them relax.

"I don't want to be your friend." He turned away from me and growled, "I want more than that and I am afraid that you will find someone else. I don't want you to love anyone else. You were there and I was here, powerless to help it. I didn't want to talk over the phone about the guys that were after you."

Whoa, that was like being hit by a truck. What was I supposed to do with that? He had never shown me any sign that he wanted more, or had he? Had I been too focused on being friends that I didn't see it?

It wouldn't have changed me leaving, but it might have changed how I went about telling him. I stared at the ground trying to figure out what to say. What could I say? I didn't know if I wanted that from him. I wasn't sure that it was a step I was ready for and with recent developments I wasn't sure it would be a good thing for him. I may not have the life span that other girls do.

"Say something please." He still had his back to me, but I could hear the desperation in his voice, "Tell me what you are thinking about right now."

I cleared my throat, "I don't know what to say." I knew that he wouldn't accept that, "Seth, I had no idea. I don't know. You want me to say that I feel the same, but I don't know." The tears were back and this time there was nothing to stop it.

He turned back to face me, "It's okay. I wasn't expecting anything. I just need you to know how I feel." He reached out to wipe away my tears, "I didn't expect it to hurt you. If you just want to be friends, then that's what I will give you." I knew that he was grasping to keep me.

"Seth, you just don't understand. I may not be alive long enough for more than just friends. As far as anyone can see my growing may not stop." I let him pull me into his arms and I melted into him. All my fears were spilling out of me and I couldn't stop them, "There was so much I wanted and now I may not be able to have it."

"Don't say that. You don't know if that is true or not. I don't believe it. You have vampire DNA and that means that you live forever." He sighed into my hair, "It is going to be alright, I promise."

"Seth, I am sorry." I closed my eyes and thought about my dreams and what I wanted out of life. Seth was a part of that, always. I couldn't imagine a future without him in it, but I wasn't ready to offer it to him until I was sure that it wouldn't be too short.

"No, I shouldn't have said anything." He sighed and let me go, "We will figure this out and go from there. I know you can't think any further than tomorrow right now."

We were kids and I couldn't think about the future with him right now. I couldn't think about what that future would hold for us. I would be the best friend that he ever had until I was sure that we had something more and then I would give him that. I knew that I loved him and I would never love anyone the same way. He was the only one for me, but I would not shackle him to me while I was under a death sentence.

It was hard waiting for Esme and Carlisle to come back. Alice and Jasper had come back with a small amount of blood for Bella, but it wasn't enough. Bella was worried about the baby not having enough, but I could tell that everyone else was just worried that the baby would make an appearance before he got back. Unfortunately they were right to worry. It happened so quickly. One second Bella was headed to the bathroom, the next second the room was covered in the blood that she had just finished drinking. The baby was coming now.

I didn't know what to do. I stepped back and let everyone else work quickly. Seth's hand on my shoulder was enough to keep me from collapsing. This wasn't good. Edward had to be strong enough to save her. She had to be saved.

I sat outside trying not to hear what was happening inside. I didn't want to know that she was dead. I didn't want to see Edward's face when he failed. He wouldn't fail, he couldn't. Something had changed in the house and I knew that it was over. There was a new baby in the house; I could hear her heart beating. I could Rosalie's voice, cooing at the baby. I struggled to hear Bella's heart also, but there was nothing to hear. I dropped my face into my hands and tried not to cry.

I looked up to see the black wolf walk out of the woods glaring up at us. Seth jumped up and yelled for help. Leah rounded the house in her wolf form jumping between the black wolf and Seth. Alice and Jasper were suddenly standing behind me pulling me to my feet. I didn't know what to think about this. Why was he here?

"Sam this isn't going to happen. No one wants a fight here." Seth stepped back and his body shook. I knew what was happening, but had never seen it before. Seth was standing there and then he wasn't. He was replaced by the wolf.

Other wolves flanked Sam now and they all looked menacing. How could they do this? Didn't they know that Bella was fighting for her life upstairs? Jacob would be in pieces right now. "Stop this, please." My voice burst out of me before I realized it was going to.

The door opened and Jacob stepped out. His face looked different. Something had changed in him and I was afraid it had been Bella. No, she wasn't going to die. I listened closely and was able to hear her heart still beating. It must have worked.

"There is nothing for you here, Sam. It's over." He stepped in front of me and shook his head, "I imprinted on Renesmee."

He what? He imprinted on her. It was a girl. A smile spread across my face and relief flooded through me. Everything was going to be fine. Our lives would go on. I wasn't sure what that meant for Renesmee, but I couldn't think about that now. We were all safe.


	11. Chapter 11: More drama

Renesmee was like watching myself grow up again. She was remarkable though. Her gift was truly amazing. She was surrounded by people that loved her and cared for her. Bella was a different story though. The only thing about her that changed was her balance issues. She was pretty much the same as she had always been. I had been warned to keep my distance in the beginning because she was a newborn, but it wasn't a problem. She had even visited with Charlie.

I was sent away to school again, but it didn't last. I had started changing again. The fears had multiplied by two now. Everyone watched Renesmee change like I had, but they were watching me change too. I now looked like Bella and Edward. I was in my late teens or early twenties. I was now seven and life was more complicated. Seth still wanted more from me, but I wasn't in a place for that. It had only been a few months since Renesmee was born and the family was talking about going to look for others like us. Carlisle couldn't believe that we were the only ones.

I spent most of my time away from the family. I was worried about dying soon and their worry added to that. Carlisle was always working on something in his lab and the others would shoot worried glances at me or at Nessie. It was hard to take. Seth was a different story though. He was overly happy all the time. I knew that he was trying hard to show me that he wasn't worried, but it actually might have been worse. I had a lot to think about and I couldn't get over the fact that I had grown another five years in a matter of months.

I was happy at least for the other drama to be over. Charlie was in the loop and that made Bella happy. Jacob and Seth were happy that we weren't leaving. I was glad to be able to finally breathe a bit and focus on my own problems. Seth was a big one and then the whole dying young thing was pretty big too. I had found many pretty great places on my own that helped me find some peace and forget everything. It was nice having Renesmee around too. She was a pretty great distraction.

There were many times that I would find an escape and realize that she was with me. It was nice spending time with her alone though. She was a lot like me. She pulled me back to the childhood that I had missed out on. She loved playing games, like hide and seek. I would occasionally ask Seth to come along with us too. It was nice being around him when he wasn't over the top. I needed him to be the guy I had spent the summer with, the friends that we were before I had been marked with the news that I couldn't be changed.

I had decided to talk to him about it on one of our walks. I stopped on the top of the water fall and looked down. He had stopped in the trees to change and I waited for him to join me.

"We gonna jump today?" His voice pulled me back from the amazing view.

I smiled and shook my head, "I don't know about that. I wanted to talk to you about something." I watched as his eyes showed his worry, but his face didn't give that emotion away, "It isn't anything bad or anything. I need you to understand why I go off alone a lot. Everyone is so worried about me and it is hard for me to see it all the time. You don't act like that, but it is almost like you are trying too hard to show me that you are alright."

He sucked in a breath and smiled, "I'm sorry if I'm too much for you."

I shook my head, "I want you to be you. I don't want you to try to be happy. I guess I just want you to be happy. I want us to go back to the way we were before all this." I waved my hands in the air and sighed.

"So you just want us to have fun and not think about what could happen?" I nodded at him and almost immediately regretted it.

He launched himself at me and wrapped me in his arms. It was like flying for about thirty seconds. We hit the water and were pulled almost to the bottom. I pushed away from him and swam for the surface. I could hear his laugh before my ears hit the air.

"What were you thinking?" I laughed with him and swam to the edge. It had been a long time since I had felt this free.

"I wasn't thinking. Maybe that has been the problem." He followed me easily and jumped out next to me, "Race you back to the top."

I spun around and took off for the path. We continued on like this for hours. It was the greatest day. I was pulled back to the easy days over the summer. I could easily see how I had missed the emotional connection we had made. His easy laugh and the way he seemed to know me better than I knew myself.

Just like the summer had come to an end, this day was brought to an end too. When I pulled myself out for the sixtieth time my eyes found Rosalie standing close by. I could tell that something had happened.

"What is it, Rose?" I was out and rushing toward her. I heard Seth behind me.

"Irina saw Renesmee and she went to the Volturi. They think that she is an immortal child." Her voice was hard and cold.

I closed my eyes and pressed my hands against my temples. Why couldn't we just have one peaceful year? "So we explain to them. They can't really defend a fight when there are two of us. I can attest that we aren't immortal."

"I don't know, but we need to get back to the house." I watched as she disappeared back into the darkness of the woods.

I screamed at the top of my lungs and listened as birds took flight, "Why can't this just stop?"

Seth was wrapped around me before I could hit the ground. He lifted me off the ground and started carrying me toward the house. I wanted to stay in these arms forever, but I knew that I had to put on my brave face once again and become the same stone as the rest of my family. I pushed away from him and he put me on my feet. I had expected him to say something to me, but he was silent. There weren't any words for what was happening.

There was so much to get through. Carlisle and the others were going to go to their friends and send them back to the house to meet Renesmee. Carlisle didn't want me to be a part of any of it, but he knew that I was in their heads and Aro would see me. He thought it would be better to be honest with the Volturi then to try and deceive them.

I suggested that we go to them. He could see me and see that I was alive and growing. I didn't like his response to this suggestion. "I think that it would be worse to go to them. We would be on their turf and there wouldn't be any witnesses to the truth. They could do what they wanted."

"I didn't realize that they were that ruthless." This brought me up short. I was nothing compared to my family. They were strong and would do well in a fight, I would be weak and easily taken out.

Alice and Jasper had left and as far as anyone knew they weren't coming back. I didn't know what to believe. I couldn't believe that she would abandon everyone. I was sure that she was working on something else, but that was only to make myself feel better. I had also found that Bella was working on something also. That was just as hard to figure out as Alice's plan. I was watching my family splintering and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Vampires had started to arrive and the wolves were on edge about it. Tanya, Kate, Eleazar and Carmen were the first to arrive. This was a hard family to deal with though. Their mother had created an immortal child and they would react similar to Irina. The plan was for them to talk to me first and then meet Renesmee. They were very pleasant to me and I remembered them from the wedding. At the time they hadn't known what I was. They thought that I was human.

"It's nice to see you again, Samantha." Tanya was polite as ever. She looked me over and cocked her head, "You have grown."

I smiled up at her and sighed, "Yes, that is why you are here. Carlisle should have spoken to you about me sooner and this wouldn't be a problem now." I felt Edward walk up behind me, "I am part vampire."

I saw the confusion fill all of their faces, "You have been asked to come here to meet my daughter. Irina saw her in the woods on her visit and didn't give us time to explain. She went to the Volturi and told them that she was an immortal child. I assure you that she is not. You have seen for yourself how Sam has grown in a short time. You also see that she is human."

I heard Bella and Jacob exit the house and the gasps from the new coven were immediate. They had heard what we had to say, but were not completely convinced. I stepped forward and looked into Tanya's eyes. "Her heart beats like mine, listen and you will hear it."

I stepped away to let them see her better. My job was done with this coven; it was up to them now. I knew that they would love her. Everyone fell in love with her after they had met her. She was just so easy to love. I watched from the porch with Seth as one by one Renesmee won them over.

It went on like this with all the covens. It was harder with some because they didn't know me, but eventually they all understood and they believed both me and Renesmee. The house was filling up and the wolves were getting anxious. I was a little anxious myself. I didn't like that all of these vampires were here while my family was not. Carlisle and Esme returned home before Emmett and Rosalie. I was happy to have them back, but wished that Alice and Jasper would walk through the door too.

Seth spent more time away from the house to keep his family and the pack happy. It wasn't safe for the wolves to be this close to all of those vampires. To help him, I spent time with him on the reservation. It was nice to see Emily again. I had missed her.

Seth was not happy about any of this and on several occasions asked me to run away with him. He knew what he was asking and he knew my response, but he still had to ask it. I knew that he was feeling something that I would never understand. I was starting to see what his true feelings for me were. He had imprinted on me.


	12. Chapter 12: Coming to an end

Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own any part of Twillight or its characters. (Sigh)

I didn't know what to think of this new development. At first I tried to talk myself out of this thought. It couldn't be true, but looking at him and thinking back on all the times we were together just made it truer. How had I been so blind? How could I have missed his real feelings? I would have stayed here with him instead of attempting to be normal. I wasn't sure if I could have reciprocated those feelings, but it would have been different.

I had to consider what this meant. I needed answers to questions and I wasn't sure where to get them. I knew that Sam was no longer connected to Seth, so anything I talked to him about would be semiprivate, but the others might know about it. I decided that Emily might have some of the answers, so I decided that I would talk to her first. I needed to know how she felt about the imprint and what it meant to her.

I had spent a lot time with her since all the vampires had moved into our house. It wasn't hard to get time alone with her. The wolves were always patrolling the line making sure that all the guests were keeping their promises.

"What's on your mind, sweetie?" She had always been so kind to me, even after she found out about my past.

I smiled at her and broached the subject carefully, "I was curious about imprinting." I gauged her reaction and decided that it wasn't bad, "I know that Sam has imprinted on you and I was wondering what that means for you?"

She took a deep breath and smiled, "Well, I was not happy with it at first. Leah is family and I would never want to hurt her. It was hard for me to fight him, though. The emotion that consumes them is hard to resist."

"So, it was easy for you to love him back." I picked up one of the cookies she had just placed on the counter, "Do you think that there is magic there as well, a force of some kind pulling you together?"

"I don't know really. It wasn't until the accident that he even broke through my anger and my resistance." She unconsciously touched the scar on her arm, "I think that I would have eventually caved to him anyway. Leah's feelings mean a lot to me and I wish that I could change all of this for her."

"She seems to be getting a bit better now that she is with Jacob." Her head snapped in my direction and I back pedaled a little, "I don't mean together, together. I meant now that she is with his pack. I think that they would kill each other before that happened."

I laughed and got her laughing too when Leah stepped into the kitchen, "What's so funny?"

I smiled up at her, but she didn't return it, "I said something about you and Jacob being together."

This got a half-smile out of her, but that was all, "Yeah like that would ever happen." She dropped into a chair and yawned, "So the end is near. Hopefully the Cullens are able to squash this before it gets all of us killed."

My mouth dropped open and I struggled to find the words, but nothing came. I caught Emily's movement and knew that she had turned away from her. This brought the anger to the surface and the words flowed freely, "Why do you have to do that? The situation may suck, but Emily is still your family! You don't have to be so hateful!"

She stood up sending the chair flying across the room, "If she can't take the truth then there's nothing I can do." I saw the red flash in her eyes, "She is here with you, when you are the reason that this is happening to begin with!"

The truth of the situation was thrown at me with such force I almost had to take a step back. She was right, Renesmee and my family and I were the reason that this was happening. I could see her side clearly. The Cullens were the reason for all of this. All of their lives had been turned upside down because of us.

"I'm sorry," was all I could choke out. I knew that she was right and there was nothing I could do about it. I knew that I shouldn't exist, but I did and I couldn't change that now, "No, I am not sorry. This situation sucks, but no one planned on this. The Cullens had no idea that the wolves would come back with them. They had no idea that Bella would start this avalanche, but it happened and now it has to be dealt with. You don't have to go if you feel this strongly about it."

She shook her head and the pain replaced the anger, "I just hate everything about this." She was gone before I could say anything else.

I knew how hard this was on her. She was the ex-girlfriend, the horrible cousin, and the only girl wolf. She had a lot to contend with and had not had very long to deal with it. My heart went out to her, but it was Emily's sobs that I had to deal with now.

"Hey, she is just angry and hurt. It will get better." I wrapped my arms around her shoulder and hugged her tight, "Nothing is going to happen tomorrow. They will all be fine. We will be back here bugging you for the best cookies in the world."

She sobbed harder and I knew that there were no words to make this fear subside. I held her until I heard his soft steps over the threshold. I stepped back and let him take my place. I sighed and left the house for the day. I was in the woods heading home when it happened. I slowed my pace and then stopped. My vision went fuzzy and I was gone.

_I was standing in a clearing looking around at all my family locked in battle. It was chaos. It was hard to tell who was fighting for which side. The ground opened up and someone grabbed me from behind. I turned in time to see the red eyes alight with excitement. He laughed before he tossed my struggling body into the hole. There was nothing I could do to stop myself from plummeting to the hot center. I dropped for what seemed forever before being submerged in the hot liquid._

My vision cleared and I was standing in the middle of the woods again. This time there was no clear path to take. I didn't immediately know how to save myself. I suspected it was because my subconscious knew that I wouldn't run from this end. I would never leave my family alone in this. I wouldn't walk away from Seth and his family either. I would stand my ground and fight with them. I decided that I could change my path slightly and see how that changed my outcome.

I started on my path back to the house and crossed the wolves' line. They were pacing the line to make sure none of the vampires crossed it. Sam was being over-cautious, but it was a necessary action. The vampires weren't vegetarians like my family so it was hard to trust them. I could hear the fighting before I reached the house. There were a few different groups talking and other groups practicing their skills. I could hear Bella being pummeled by Emmett whose laughter drowned out everyone else. I smiled at this and decided I would check on it before heading to bed.

Bella stalked him and got the upper hand often, but she was no match for his strength. When he was able to get a hold of her she was done. I laughed and caught his attention. His smile warmed my heart. He was a wonderful big brother. I turned on my heel and darted into the house. Carlisle was with me when I made it to the top of the stairs.

"How is Emily doing?" I nodded and shrugged. I wanted to tell him that she was alright, but I knew that wasn't exactly true.

"Edward heard Leah's thoughts. You have to understand how she is feeling right now." Carlisle was always the bleeding heart. There wasn't a person that he didn't sympathize with.

"Carlisle, you know that not everyone deserves your warmth." I wrapped my arms around his waist, "I understand her anger and her pain, but she doesn't have to take it out on Emily. No one asked for any of this. Emily didn't ask for Sam's loyalty or his love. Sometimes it can't be helped."

He smiled down at me, "Wise beyond your years, young one."

He disappeared down the stairs and left me standing in the hall alone. I sighed and walked into my bedroom, my safe haven. The only problem was being able to hear everything that was going on outside. All of the noises were just a reminder what loomed so close.

The next few days went on the same. The fighting continued and Bella started working on building the strength of her shield. Kate was the biggest helper. She used her shocking power to motivate Bella to push harder. It never seemed to work and Edward spent more time on the ground in pain then he did on his feet. I listened to these lessons, but didn't know how I could force my visions to expand and include anyone else.

I spent more time with Emily and was having a vision daily. Every vision that hit me, I tried to change with a small adjustment, attacking my attacker, or shifting my position. These small changes only put me in the range of someone else. Emily was becoming aware of them and I was having a hard time convincing her that they were nothing.

"Have you talked to someone about this?" I wasn't sure what she was thinking, "What if it's something to do with your aging?"

Bingo, "It isn't, Emily. You don't need to worry about this." I could see by her look that it wasn't going to be dropped, "its visions of the fight. That's what's happening to me. Whenever I change something that I do, there is a new vision."

This seemed to give her some relief, but I could still see that she was concerned, "What are the visions?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

I sighed, "Nothing specific really. Everything changes with everyone's actions. I can only really see myself and it is sort of fuzzy. The visions can't be certain until everyone has decided on their path." None of that was true. The visions were crystal clear. I knew that Aro was planning on fighting. His path was set and as long as we were set on fighting back then ours was set too.

She sighed and went back to cleaning her dishes. I jumped onto the counter and broke pieces of the muffin that was left over from breakfast off and popped them into my mouth, "Can I ask you something?"

I watched as her shoulders slumped, but she nodded, "What happens if the girl in the imprint dies?"

This caught her off guard. Her back straightened and she threw the spoon she was cleaning back into the sink with a loud clang. "Stop talking like that!" She spun around and her eyes flashed, "You are not going to die! No one is dying anytime soon!"

I jumped off the counter and looked into her eyes, "Emily, I didn't mean soon. I meant…" I didn't know how to phrase my question, "Okay let's say that Jane is dating John who's a wolf. Jane is killed in an accident. Is the imprint still there or is it broken? Can John move on with someone else or does he feel empty?"

Emily sighed and shrugged, "I don't know really. The last wolves were gone before I knew anything about this. Billy Black was around, but he was young."

"If he is determined enough, he can move on, but there is always a hole in his heart. The imprint will always be with him. He will never forget her, Jane that is." Sam's voice filled the house. I turned and smiled at him.

"Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I guess it's enough." I stepped to the door and stopped. My vision blurred and I was pulled from the house. What was happening? I had stopped changing my path. I had accepted my death.

_I was standing next to Seth in his wolf form. Carlisle was in front of me with Esme. The others were all paired and the wolves were scattered throughout the group. Aro stood at the head of the mob that had accompanied him to the clearing. The snow was falling lightly making it seem as though we were all there for a fun little snow ball fight. I could feel the tension from everyone around me._

_Edwards voice hit my ears, "Alice." _

_Alice? I craned my neck to see her, but saw nothing. I heard her and Jasper's steps before I saw them. They walked straight to Aro without even glancing at any of us. I watched as he took her hand and pulled her memories out. It only took moments. She pulled her hand away and turned from him disgusted. I couldn't see what happened next, but screams erupted and everyone started to fight. An unseen hand grabbed me…_

I was standing in the woods looking into Seth's frightened eyes. "What is it?" I took a deep breath and smiled.

"I have to talk to the others." I darted towards the house, but didn't have to travel very far. Everyone was standing right outside the line.

They all looked as terrified as Seth, "Why does everyone look as though someone has died?" I asked concerned.

"You had a vision. That means you saw your death." Carlisle was the one to speak. His voice was thick with emotion.

I shook my head, "No, well yes, but that can change easily. I have been having them for a few days." I shrugged, "If Aro listens then his path will change and all of our paths will change with it."

Emmett flexed his muscles, but it was Rosalie who spoke, "He won't change his mind. Alice is proof of that."

I laughed, "That's just it. You were all wrong about her. She was in the vision. She is coming home. She must have just decided."

Esme's face lit up and a smile crossed Edward's face. I saw Bella's smile starting also, "She must have seen a change."

"Or she found what she was looking for." I looked at Seth who still wasn't happy with this new development.

It was true. Everything rested on the Volturi's reaction to our information. I didn't like having everything on their shoulders. I liked being in control and being able to change my future. I didn't like having to wait.

"Well then we can only hope that our witnesses and our proof is enough to keep everyone safe. I hope that Aro is honorable." He shook his head. He wanted to believe that Aro was honorable, but he was doubtful of that outcome. Power was a strong motivator.

I followed them back to the house, but didn't go on with preparations like the others. This was the last day we had before they came. I wanted time alone with Seth. I pulled him up to my room and closed the door. I watched as he walked over to the bed and dropped himself on the edge. The fear hadn't left his eyes.

"I don't want you to worry about this. I know that it will be alright. It can't be any other way." I whispered and crossed over to him, "Come on let's get away from here."

I pulled him up and jumped out the full length window. I kept it open all the time. I liked having the fresh air blowing through. I didn't like to be reminded of the little closet I used to sleep in. I ran until I crossed the reservations line. I realized that Seth had stopped a few feet back. I turned and saw him staring at me, "Why did you want to come here? The reminders are here too."

I smiled and rolled my eyes, "Please just trust me a little. There's something I want to talk to you about and there is a perfect place for it."

He shook his head, but started moving again. There was no emotion on his face. I knew that he was preparing himself for the possibility of losing me. I wondered what that meant for him. What was he thinking right now? What would he do if he did lose me?

I amped up my happiness and tried to pull it out of him. I stopped when I got to the water of First Beach. I looked out over the water and took a deep breath of the salty air. This was the place I would never forget. The flakes floated down to the water where they disappeared. I reached my hand out and let one slowly drop onto my palm. I felt his arms wrap around me like they had done the last time. I dropped my head to his shoulder and sighed. This is what I wanted him to remember. This was the moment I wanted him to understand.

"Seth, I have been doing a lot of thinking. I went through all of my memories of us and I kept coming back to this one." I slipped my fingers through his, "This is the one moment that I realized that I loved you."


	13. Chapter 13: blast from the past

**Disclaimer: I own no part of the twilight saga or have any rights to the characters.**

Seth didn't say anything for a few minutes. He just kept his arms wrapped around me. I could feel his breath on my hair. The minutes stretched out and I wasn't sure he would say anything. He had already told me how he felt.

His arms dropped and he stepped back, "I guess I should have seen this coming." His tone was distant and had an edge of coldness to it.

I turned to look at him to see if I could figure out what the words meant, but all I saw was the same blankness that I had seen on the way here. I took a step towards him, but he stepped away. I didn't understand this reaction and it must have shown on my face. He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair.

"I tell you that I want more and you say that you won't give me that with a death sentence hanging over your head." He took another step away from me, "Now we both have a death sentence over our heads. It is hard enough dealing with my own feelings and trying to figure out how I will live without you, but for you to tell me this." The pain flashed in his eyes, "How am I supposed to deal with leaving _you _alone now?"

I took a shallow breath, "You would rather me not have told you?"

He turned away from me and his shoulders slumped, "I don't know what I want." He straightened up and turned to me, "No, I want to have you free and clear. I want you to be safe and not to hurt. I don't know how to do this."

I walked to him and he didn't move away. I placed my hands on his face and looked deep into his eyes, "You have to know that this will work out. We will both be fine."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and dropped my head to his shoulder. My heart was breaking for this boy. He shouldn't be feeling this pain and confusion. He should be out with his friends or a girl. He should be enjoying his youth. He shouldn't be worrying about an epic battle with an army of vampires. I wanted to take all of this away from him and make him happy again. I wanted to see his carefree smile and hear his easy laughter.

The beach darkened around us and we just stood there in a frozen embrace. I never wanted this moment to end. I wanted to keep him here forever.

"We should get back to the others. They will need help preparing for tomorrow." He didn't move as he said this, in fact his arms tightened around me, "Sam will wonder where I am."

I pressed my lips to his neck and kissed him gently. His skin was much warmer than mine; it felt nice in the cool night air. I closed my eyes and let him pull away from me. I felt his lips brush mine and then he was gone. I was standing alone on the beach, my moment gone.

I ran through the woods to get to the house. I needed to know that he was alright and Jacob was the only one that could answer that. Leah could answer it, but she wasn't exactly friendly to me. I instantly felt the change. There was someone new here. I wasn't sure I wanted to meet any more vampires. I took slow steps to the house and stopped when Carlisle walked out.

The man that stepped out of the house with Carlisle was surprising. I gasped for air and dropped to my knees. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I couldn't imagine that Bella would have been okay with this. I couldn't even imagine that he had consented to this. Carlisle was next to me pulling me up, "It's not what you think."

I looked at the man again, "I know that he looks a lot like Charlie."

Bella's voice came from behind me, "I was furious too, but I have just come from my dad's house. It really isn't him."

I stepped toward him and tried to find one piece that was different, but the only difference I could find was that he was a vampire and Charlie wasn't. His eyes were bright red and I knew that Charlie's never would be. Even if he had been changed he wouldn't have become a killer.

"You have to be related to him then." I examined him and he stood still as a statue allowing me too, "This is too weird."

I looked a little like Bella, but you could tell the difference between us. I had the same skin color and the same eye color, but my hair was darker. It also hung perfectly straight down my back. This man could have been Charlie's identical twin in his human form.

I stepped back and smiled, "Well that's almost as creepy as those Romanian guys." I heard Carlisle and Bella chuckled behind me, "Doesn't matter who you are as long as you are here to fight with us."

His stillness cracked and he smiled down at me, "I will do what I can to keep you safe. I should have been doing that to begin with."

I caught the hint of sadness in his words and I stepped back. What did that mean? Why would he protect me? Before I could ask he continued. "I am sorry that I left you with that incompetent human. She promised me that she would raise you as her own. I guess I should have wondered what that would be like."

I kept backing up until I was standing with Carlisle. I looked up at him, "Is he claiming to be…" I couldn't say the word.

Carlisle nodded and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. Bella moved to my other side as if to protect me from him. I could tell that she didn't trust him. He sighed and stepped toward the house, "I am sorry to upset any of you. I heard of Renesmee and I knew that I could help, but when I went to your old home she told me where you were. I am not asking for you to forgive me, which would be unheard of. I just want to help."

I shook my head, "No it isn't. I am not angry with you. You have my forgiveness." I caught sight of Seth off the side of us, "You need to understand that this is my home and the Cullens are my family, though. I don't know you and I don't plan on leaving."

He nodded and disappeared into the house. Carlisle looked over at Seth, "The wolves make him very nervous. I think that they might have been around when he was changed."

"Edward said something like that. He stays clear of Jacob, but Edward can't get a clear thought on why. He is a lot like Charlie in that way too. He says that he can pick up on some things, but it is like a bad channel." Seth stepped out of the woods for the second time only this time he was in his human form. Bella and Carlisle disappeared into the house.

"Was that the guy that looks like Charlie? I saw him through Leah."

"Yes, he says that he is my father." I watched as the smile filled his face. I was so confused. This was not funny.

"Sorry, but you know, 'I am your father.'" His smile was infectious and I couldn't help but laugh at his silly joke.

"I should have known it was going to be something like that." I punched his arm and darted for the house. I turned when I got to the porch and saw that he wasn't following me, "You aren't coming in."

He nodded and turned back toward the woods. I watched as he went and then watched even when he was out of sight. "Sam doesn't want any of them too close to the house. He is afraid that there will be an incident." Jacob's voice broke through my internal suffering.

"I know, but I still don't like him to go." I looked into his eyes and shrugged, "Is he going to be able to stay with me in the field later?"

Jacob started to shake his head, but then changed his mind, "Yeah, I think that will be alright. I will be in the tent next to yours, so Seth will be safe."

I smiled at the thought of sharing a tent with Seth and having one last night with him before this horrible day. I knew that Alice was coming, but I wasn't sure how it would change anything. I also couldn't completely believe my vision, what if it just showed me what I wanted to see. Maybe Alice and Jasper weren't coming at all.

The next day would tell and all I could do now was prepare. I had only a few hours before we were heading to the clearing. I hoped that Seth was okay with staying out there with me. I was throwing a few things into a bag when my father entered. I knew it was him before he even spoke.

"I want you to know that you can ask me anything." He didn't enter the room, just hovered by the door, "I will tell you anything."

"I have always wondered about you. I didn't know I had a different mother until recently, but I would like to know about her too." I dropped the bag at my feet and turned to meet his gaze, "It doesn't have to be tonight, but before you leave again."

He shook his head, "I do not know if I will go far. I would like to know you too." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, "I want you to know that I had no idea who you would be. I had no idea how to raise you or what to do."

"I know that it must have been hard for you. I told you that I am not angry about it." I heard the rustling outside of the window, "Seth is coming. If you don't want to meet him then you had better go." I watched as worry filled his eyes and then he was gone.

"Were you talking to Joe?" Seth stood behind me in the window smiling. Jacob must have gotten him clearance for tonight. This was different than before. The sadness was almost completely gone.

"Why the change? You were all doom and gloom earlier, what happened?"

He shrugged and jumped on the bed. I stared at him until he squirmed enough and broke, "I was thinking that you are right. They are going to be fair about this. They have to be." He rolled so that he could see me clearly and laughed, "Besides, I get to stay with you all night."


	14. Chapter 14: The battle

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Twilight or the characters.**

**Sorry for the wait, but I was having some problems working it out. This chapter is short, but I hope you all like it.**

The night was strange. Everyone was on edge waiting for the upcoming battle and the talking never ceased. I was nice and cozy with Seth in the tent with me, but I still couldn't shut down enough to sleep. I knew what tomorrow would bring and I knew what it could mean. I closed my eyes, but nothing happened. I listened to the different voices outside of the tent. The sun coming up was enough to pull me from the sleeping bag and out of the tent. Seth could sleep as long as he wanted to, but I wasn't going to sit in there any longer.

"You don't look like you slept. I could hear how restless you were." Carlisle's face was etched in lines of worry.

"I will be alright. It was hard to sleep with everyone around." I squeezed his cold hand and walked with him to the others, "When will they be here?"

Bella turned and smiled at me, "Shouldn't be for a little while. You are up early."

"Couldn't sleep." I shrugged and looked around. It was nice to see all the people that had come together to help the Cullens. I couldn't believe that this had all started with one of their closest friends.

What could have happened that would have turned her so far against them? I had heard the stories about their mother, but she didn't even speak to them about it. I guess self perseverance was more important than friendship. Carlisle had talked about the scare that had come with their mother's decision. I also learned that Irina wasn't happy with the Cullens anyway. She was upset that the wolves had killed her mate. She thought that she should have been able to attack them, but Carlisle and the others wouldn't have it.

I stared out over the white clearing and tried to imagine it lined with black and red cloaks. I had never seen the Volturi before and I wasn't looking forward to it now. I sighed and turned to look at Bella who had come to stand near me.

"There is something that I have to talk with you about." She looked over her shoulder and then back to me, "I have made arrangements for Renesmee, Jacob and you to leave here. If the time comes when it looks like we have to fight, I want you to run."

I turned to argue, but I saw her face and knew that she meant what she was saying. "You are the only other person I can tell this too. Aro can't hear our thoughts."

I nodded, but couldn't speak. How would I run away from the only family I have ever known? How could I leave Seth behind to be killed while I ran away? I would agree with her now, but I knew that I wouldn't go with them. I would stay behind and fight with the people that I loved. I heard Jacob, Renesmee, and Seth stirring in the two tents and decided that I should let Seth know that I was still here. I didn't want him to panic.

He was standing in front of the tent talking with Jacob. I smiled at him and they stopped. I shook my head and knew that they were talking about me. Who wouldn't think that?

"How are you?" I tried for a smile, but knew that it was pathetic.

He did smile at me and I couldn't figure out why it was there. "It's a great morning, isn't it?"

I eyed him suspiciously and turned to Jacob who was shaking his head, "What are you two up to?"

They both shrugged and Jacob walked away. I turned back to Seth and eyed him coolly. I didn't want him making plans that would put him in danger. I wanted him to stay as safe as possible. I followed his gaze to Carlisle and Esme. They were walking slowly toward us.

"Seth, Sam," Carlisle dropped his hand onto my shoulder, "I need the two of you to stay at the back of the group. I don't want to draw any more attention to you than we have to. If he realizes who and what you are then we will pull you up, but if we can get away with him not knowing about you then that it better."

I saw Esme shift her gaze to Seth, "We want her safe too, but not hunted. If she isn't here then they will think that we are hiding her. It will work against us and make her a bigger target. Whatever you are planning, please rethink it."

I stared at him and shrugged, "He won't do anything. If he tries to take me away then I will draw everyone's attention to me. It will only make it worse." I shot a glare at him and was surprised by the guilt on his face, "We will stay at the back though. I don't want to make this worse for you guys."

Edward's voice rang through the clearing, "They're coming."

I looked at all the faces that had assembled there thinking that there would be a new addition, but there was not. Alice wasn't here. I must have been wrong about it after all. I took my place at the back of the group and waited for the approach of the Volturi. I never saw them though. The visions started flashing through my head so fast I had a hard time catching any part of them. A face here, a voice there, but nothing concrete. Their indecisions were clouding my head. I was lost to what was happening. I was a sitting duck and had no chance of defending myself.


	15. Chapter 15: the end

My vision cleared and I stood up. The threat was gone. Everyone was safe and watching me closely. The last thing I had seen in my vision was a horrible battle that ended horribly for everyone. I was not killed, I was frozen on the outside of the battle watching the carnage. My vision cleared and I was standing in the same spot, but I was surrounded by the people that loved me.

"Is she alright, Carlisle?" Seth's hysterical voice was like a spike in my brain. I grabbed my head and screamed. I had never experienced this kind of pain before. I felt like my head was going to explode. The sounds around me where extinguished, by that terrible cry. I fought against it, but there was nothing I could do.

The cold on my back was the only other sensation that registered in me. I felt like I was being swallowed up by a deep coldness. I realized that I was being carried and only when the cold was replaced by emptiness did I realize that we must be home. The throbbing was receding and I was beginning to find my bearings again. Alice was the first voice I heard, "When Bella was pregnant I had a hard time. Maybe that is what happened to her."

"Carlisle." Seth's broken voice was a stab to my heart. It was a helpless sound. I had to get back to him and make the pain go away. I felt cold hands on my face and knew that Carlisle was working on me.

"I'm okay." The sound was nothing more than a breath. Carlisle who was closest to me was the only one who even realized I had spoken at all.

"She's coming to." He flashed a light into my eyes and then pressed his head to my chest, "Her vitals are getting stronger."

I sighed and fought to open my eyes, but they would not cooperate, "Seth." I was able to push my arm off the bed and was happy when Seth's warm hand found it.

"I am right here. Don't worry about me."

I knew that I would never have to worry about anything again. I was where I should be and was happy to finally be able to live how I wanted to. Seth and I would be able to live out forever together and I would always have family around me. My father left after the almost fight with Volturi and didn't come back. The last conversation I had with him had been very informative.

It was two days after the confrontation and I was feeling much better. He came into my room and asked to speak with me alone, "I know that you don't want to leave her right now, but if I could have just a few moments with her."

I smiled over at Seth, "It's alright, and you should probably go eat something anyway."

He stared at my father for a few moments before walking from the room. Joe walked to the window and stared out. He didn't breathe or move.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" I adjusted myself and was surprised when he was by my side helping me.

"I am leaving." He sat slowly and sighed, "I wanted to tell you a little about me and your mother before going."

I nodded and he continued, "My name is Joseph Swan. I am originally from this area. The wolves weren't around when I was created. I had no idea about them, I still don't know much. I met your mother one night. She was working with that worthless human waste. There was something about her that I couldn't resist. At first I just wanted her blood, but she was so sad and lost. I wanted to help her. I wanted to save her. I loved her." He stood and returned to the window, "She told me that she had left because she didn't like her family. They were superstitious and were all fools. She had no idea that she was the one that was wrong. I felt my humanity coming back when I was with her. It was like I was no longer a vampire. I did things with her that I shouldn't have.

Then she got pregnant with you and there was nothing I could do about it. She knew that she was going to die. She made me promise that I would take care of you. That was why I kept you away from me. I couldn't take care of you. I am a monster that can never do right by you. You are better off here with the Cullens. You have taken to them and they care about you."

"What was her name?" Fear had spiked through me. My mother could be related to anyone of the wolves, even Seth.

"Her name was Beth Uley." He nodded at me and was gone.

I didn't know how I was related to Sam, but I was in some way. This was comforting to me and I knew that I didn't have to tell anyone if I didn't want to. I would keep this little tidbit of information for myself. I was part of that world and also part of the Cullens world. I was related to Bella and Charlie too. I couldn't have asked for better news than this.

I knew that my life was going to be happy finally. I would be able to live the life I had always wanted as a kid. I would finally have the family, friends and love that I had always desired.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Twilight or any of the characters.**

**I hope you enjoyed the story. Please review and let me know what you thought, good or bad. Thank you for reading.**


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